


Gambits

by bitterbones



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alpha/Alpha, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Failed Assassination Attempt, Jedi Rey, Knotting, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Power Dynamics, Rough Sex, Senator Ben, beach day!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:49:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22025095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitterbones/pseuds/bitterbones
Summary: In which an attempt is made on the life of galactic senator Ben Organa-Solo, and Rey is assigned to be his personal bodyguard. Their biology makes them fast enemies, and Rey struggles to balance her duty as a Jedi with the rivalry forming between them. Perhaps they even hate one another. Until suddenly they don't.*Then he was moving through the darkness, and for all the training she had endured, Rey froze when faced with his shadow. He caught her jaw in his hand, and Rey shivered at its breadth. His hands were soft, his grip firm. That confusing scent assaulted her again, stronger this time as its source breathed in her face.“But understand this, little Jedi, you are a guest in my territory. Any omegas I bring back are mine . I am larger than you, I am stronger than you. You listen to me , are we clear? I am dominant, between the two of us. I am the alpha .”With a few steadying breaths she managed to dampen her alpha response enough to speak, “Get out of my face.”
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 154
Kudos: 542





	1. Chapter 1

When Luke told Rey that her first assignment would be high profile, she hadn’t realized the extent of it. Reluctance on her part had been ignored entirely. She was given no choice in the matter and, upon introduction to her charge, she realized why. 

Ben Solo, member of the galactic senate and Prince of Alderaan and her remaining diaspora, reeked of alpha. She cast a sideways glance at Luke, who up until that moment hadn’t said a word about designations. The Jedi Master ignored her, and introduced Rey with a sweep of his arm. 

“Ben, this is Rey. She has been one of my most promising pupils and was raised to the rank of Knight just two months ago. At your mother’s request, I am assigning her to you as your personal bodyguard.” 

Rey bowed her head respectfully, saying nothing. 

She’d already seen it in his eyes, the flash of knowing when her scent had penetrated the foyer of his Coruscant apartment. 

Rey was an alpha, too. Though one of a more controlled variety. She had learned to repress her ruts and baser urges through meditation and willpower alone. Jedi were forbidden from state-altering medicines, and blockers were considered thus. Ben Solo, regal in his royalty and resplendent in his Senator’s garb, was not bound by the same laws as she. Handsome and  _ massive _ in build, he was an alpha’s-alpha. There was more than a hint of primality to his scent. 

Though she was smaller, and her pheromones less obvious, he still gave her a weary look.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ben gave voice to her worries, and she shuddered at his timbre. Deep, smooth. Even his vocal chords gave away what he was. With females it was always less obvious. 

Luke crossed his arms in front of his body, and Rey could hear the cybernetics  _ whirring _ in his hand, “Frankly, we’re out of options.” 

Rey kept her expression neutral. There were several things the Master could have meant by that, none of them good. Firstly, Senator Organa-Solo had been a bit too whily for any beta guard assigned to him. He’d also fucked an omega Knight, putting her standing with the Jedi Order in jeopardy. The second thing Rey found particularly less entertaining and far more troubling. 

There had been two separate attempts on the Senator’s life, as well as that of his mother. She was not aware of the specifics, but she knew the motive had to do with their heritage. 

“I think,” Rey finally spoke, extending her hand in an attempt at amiability. “That things will go fine. I’ll stay with you until this whole mess gets sorted, then you can downgrade to contractors again.” 

“You make it sound like it will go quickly,” he half joked, and when their palms met they tensed. Rattled to their cores, one alpha encroaching on the territory of another uninvited. They shook anyways, Luke seemingly oblivious to the sudden tension. 

_ Betas. _ Rey mentally scoffed. 

Pleasantries over with, Luke helped Rey gathered her few belongings from their transport. They set her up in what had once been the study. Ben didn’t seem particularly pleased that it was being fully repurposed into a bedroom and base of operations for Rey. But it was cleaned spotless, so she suspected he had been informed ahead of time. 

The room was heavy with his scent, which made her uneasy. The blankets and twin mattress he provided were sinfully soft, and the large rectangular window behind his desk gave a beautiful view of Coruscant. She would be able to rise with the sun each morning as she was accustomed to at home. 

“Thank you,” she said to them both as they finished. Luke placed her small duffel of belongings at the foot of the mattress. 

“Be careful,” he said, blue eyes suddenly dark despite the sunset, “Both of you. These are strange times.” 

“Yes, Master.” 

“Yes, Uncle.” 

They replied simultaneously. 

He bowed his head and Rey noticed for the first time how old he had become since her childhood. His hair was greying, his eyes were bleary. He had crows feet and a salt-and-pepper beard. It was a strange sight, the feelings it stirred were stranger yet. 

Clapping Rey on the shoulder, he gave a small smile, “You know where to find me. Call if anything strange comes up.” 

Rey nodded grimly, “Yes, Master.” 

He was staying with Leia. She already had two young Knights guarding her, but Luke insisted he personally oversee her protection. Anyone who sought to harm the Princess would find themselves skewered six ways to Scarif. 

The old Master turned to Ben, eyes coloring with something like exasperation, “Don’t do anything stupid, kid.” 

Ben smiled, and Rey understood why women swooned when he passed by, “When have I ever?” 

Luke rolled his eyes and gave Rey one final sympathetic look, “You’ve got this under control, then. I’ll see you both on the senate floor.”

“Yeah.” She agreed. And Luke left his favored padawan-turned-Knight alone on her first assignment.  _ With _ her first assignment, really. Ben Solo was going to be a task in and of himself, she could already see it. 

“I’ve nothing planned for tonight,” Ben said, leaning back against his heavy wooden desk. For the first time that day, Rey really had the chance to look at him. He was quite the specimen, even dressed down as he was now. 

He wore a simple, form fitting black shirt, seams stitched through with silver. It clung tightly to his chest and arms, accentuating the sheer size of him. His trousers were red, less tight, but still fitting enough to show that no part of his body was forgotten in training. 

An omega would have  _ swooned _ . Rey felt an itch under her collar. 

“That’s fine. Gives me time to settle in.” It was awkward. Terribly, cripplingly awkward. 

His eyes narrowed and she took note of how dark they were, nearly black. Mysterious. Dangerous. Inside her something tried to stir, but she banished the unwelcome reaction with practiced ease. 

“I have omegas around sometimes, you know.” 

A flush spread across Rey’s face. She leaned over her bag, rifling through it aimlessly in an attempt to hide her discomfort, “That’s fine.” 

“If you make any moves, we’ll have to fight.” He looked her up and down, and from his sneer she supposed he found her to be less than impressive, “Little thing like you? I’ll win.” 

Rey scowled at him openly, it seemed he wasn’t even going to attempt the diplomatic path. She didn’t have the luxury of that choice, “That won’t be a problem, Senator. I don’t experience ruts. You can…  _ debauch _ to your heart’s content and I will be unaffected. I am here for one purpose only.” 

His dark brows shot near to his hairline, “Oh, really? Jedi shit, right? I know more about that than you’d think. And I know it doesn’t really work. You can’t deny your nature, Rey. I just hope you don’t fuck up this mission because of it.” 

And with that he pushed off of the desk, strutting from the room with a sort of confidence that baffled her. Bastard. 

Rey rolled her eyes, then shut the door softly behind him. She could use a little quiet after such a long day. Hyperspace to transport, second transport to here. Only ever having been to Coruscant once before, it was all still new. Everything was towering and shiny and overstimulating. 

She closed the blinds and climbed onto Ben’s desk. He’d made a comment earlier about having to clear it per Luke’s demands. Rey was grateful. It made for a good, elevated point to center herself on. 

Settling with her legs crossed, she shut her eyes and let her breathing even out. 

_ Forget the assignment _ , she thought,  _ forget Coruscant, forget the weariness in your bones, forget Master Luke, forget Ben. _

It was her usual process, to categorically let go of each thing which plagued her mind until she simply  _ was _ . But how could she forget Ben when the scent of him was so pungent around her? He must have spent a lot of time in his study, the air was rancid. Perhaps he was more learned than his demeanor suggested.

Growling, Rey hopped off of the desk, landing on the hardwood with a muffled  _ thump _ . There had been no other alphas living at the temple, for her entire stay she had been the only one. Most couldn’t endure the extra training involved to be both designated and a Jedi, so they didn’t bother to begin with. The few omegas who resided had been scattered across the premises to distribute their scents and minimize incidents as they too learned to best their natures. 

Having been spared in that sense, Rey had never encountered a situation such as this before. His scent, musky and spicy and mannish all at once, was gnawing at the back of her mind. It scraped at that place which she so dutifully repressed. It made her nostrils flare and the muscle of her jaw twitch. 

Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose and glanced about the darkening room, looking for an answer. 

It was obvious, staring her right in the face. Instinct itself laughed at her for her stubbornness. 

The objects in the room, the books and rug and baubles, all reeked from his presence. The solution was disgustingly simple. She needed to lay her scent over his, to buff it out until it was entirely gone and the study was…  _ hers. _

Rey shivered. She hated the territorial thing that slumbered within her, now awake at the prospect of marking a space as theirs. 

Hand shaking, she plucked a dusty-backed book from one of the ceiling high shelves. It was ancient, but well cared for. When she opened it, she almost gagged. He must have been fond of it. It was positively pungent with his pheromones. 

Swallowing hard, Rey reconciled that she would never get anything done in a place like this, even sleep. The smell was so all consuming that it made her latent glands ache. Given little choice, she lifted the spine of the book to her jaw and ran it gently over the skin above her masticatory scent gland. Two long sweeps and it was done. 

She moved methodically through the room, following her nose from each item to the next. It must have taken her hours. By the time she was done the sun had set behind the blinds. 

When she inhaled this time it was with profound relief. Only a hint of his musk lingered. Now she could focus and pretend that what had just transpired had never happened. Rey was a Jedi, her alpha had been laid to rest years previous. She was more than a beast seeking out omegas to rut with. 

Only it wouldn’t be that simple. 

A shaft of light had fallen across the floor somewhere in her haze of marking. Silhouetted within were the broad shoulders of Ben Solo, standing with his arms crossed at the threshold between the study and living area. Rey couldn’t see his face in the shadows, but she could sense his smugness in the air between them. 

“That was fast.” He said, wry, “Stunk up my office sufficiently, that’s for sure.” 

Rey struggled for sufficient excuse, only managing to stumble over her own words, “I was— It… I couldn’t focus!” 

The Senator hummed, and Rey hated how he’d maintained this upper hand from the moment she had entered his apartment. She was beholden to dogma and order, but he could do whatever he pleased.

“I guess you can have the study.” He conceded, “For the sake of this…  _ partnership _ we are required to maintain.” 

Rey gave a hard swallow, and nodded, “Fine.”

Then he was moving through the darkness, and for all the training she had endured, Rey froze when faced with his shadow. He caught her jaw in his hand, and Rey shivered at its breadth. His hands were soft, his grip firm. That confusing scent assaulted her again, stronger this time as its source breathed in her face. 

Rey had to grind her teeth to keep from bearing them. She twisted the growl roiling in her chest into a low whine. Being this close put every ounce of her years of training to the test. 

“But understand this, little Jedi, you are a guest in my territory. Any omegas I bring back are  _ mine _ . I am larger than you, I am stronger than you. You listen to  _ me _ , are we clear? I am dominant, between the two of us.  _ I am the alpha _ .”

Rey shivered, feeling ill with his heat all around her and his scent monopolizing her senses. She could practically taste him. Inside her the beast stirred and flexed its claws. Rey’s hands balled into fists at her sides. 

With a few steadying breaths she managed to dampen her alpha response enough to speak, “Get out of my face.” 

This seemed to jar him, that she did not agree to his superior status inherently. Ben backed away, still pinioning her in place under his acrid gaze.

“I see why Luke chose you,” He sneered, “This should be an interesting stint.” 

Rey’s lip twitched, “Only as interesting as you want to make it, Ben. I’m not a threat to you, this doesn’t have to become a power struggle.” 

His black eyes seemed to glitter in the dark, and he motioned to the walls around them with a stiff hand, “It already has, Rey. Deny all you like.” 

Turning, he stepped back out into the living room. She heard him breathe deeply, relieved to be free of her musk. 

“Things get real tomorrow, little Jedi.” He said over his shoulder, “I have closed table negotiations with a Chandrila based trade union in the morning, full day after that.” 

Rey was already aware, Luke had provided her with itineraries. Dizzied by his strange shift in tone, she said nothing, only staring incredulously at his broad back. 

“We’ll see if you’re truly up to the challenge. Goodnight, Rey.” 

With that, one alpha shut the door, leaving the other baffled and shrouded in darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: [Link](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/sordidbones)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey attends negotiations with Ben and contends with her inner alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note, because this is a divergent timeline things are a little jumbled. Ben never turned to the dark and the First Order doesn't exist but the Anakin did become Darth Vader and Alderaan was destroyed. Coruscant is still the seat of the galactic capitol. Just wanted to brush that up! Try not to think too hard about it, though. It's not the focus of the story. 
> 
> Enjoy <3

Rey woke before dawn. The inky sky still black as pitch and speckled with those few stars bright enough to break through the Coruscant light pollution. She was still tense, and the beginnings of a migraine thrummed behind her tired eyes. But she was a Jedi, and those primal things were secondary to her assigned mission.

She began her day by making a round of the apartment. Testing the security and alarm systems and searching cramped, dark areas for recording devices. She even allowed herself to draw in long drafts of air through her nose, running them across the sensory organ on the roof of her mouth, tasting the air for strange scents. Nothing unusual arose. 

Head already swimming with his scent, Rey retreated back to the study for the time being. An odd red fruit in hand, stolen from his conservator to serve as a meager breakfast. She ate it quickly, gnawing it down to its sour core. Then she dressed in robes of muted grey and beige and settled in to meditate until her charge roused. 

She didn’t care for bustling planets like Coruscant. The Force was almost  _ busy _ there, too many lives to account for. Each one a pinprick of light on its own, but all gathered in such proximity they were near blinding on the backdrop of the Living Force. On Yavin IV the din of the jungle and its scattered occupants was like a comforting white noise. In the Capitol? The thrum of lives was a pulsing cacophony from which there was no escape. 

It was a new challenge, to center herself among such chaos. And Rey might have succeeded; she was Luke’s favored Jedi Knight, a veritable protégé to the most renowned Jedi Master in all the galaxy. But even his guidance could not have prepared her for the distraction that was his nephew, and how her own latent nature stirred at his presence. 

Breath coming steady, mind settling like calm water, Rey delved into herself, becoming calm, centering herself around the insistent thrum at the core of all things. At least she was attempting to. Something was keeping her from achieving total peace. Having successfully blotted out the noise of the world beyond the study, it was only the brillant, thunderous signature of Ben Solo in the adjacent room which kept her from focusing. 

He was glowing. Rey was shocked to find he possessed such a connection to the Force. Had he chosen to train as a Jedi he might have even surpassed her. But he was the nephew of Luke Skywalker, grandson of Vader, son of Leia, his line was one of renown; it made perfect sense for him to possess such power, latent as it may have been. 

In the end she managed to maintain a semi relaxed state, crossed legged on the desk. She could feel the pale light of the rising sun slowly warming her back through the windows. When she breathed she could taste the subtle scents of city air beneath Ben’s musk. 

There was peace to be found, even here. 

Then she was brought from her trance by two sharp knocks on the doorframe. Ben stood in the threshold, hair wet from showering. He wore nothing but a petulant scowl upon his oblong face and a towel slung low over his hips. 

A flush crept up Rey’s neck. She had known he was massive, but to see the bulk of him on display was entirely unnerving. Ben was muscular, but not overly so like some of the wiry boys at the academy were. Rather there was a softness to his physique, a subtle roundness that only further contributed to his intimidating size. 

Her inner alpha flexed its claws at this obvious show of dominance. He might have had size, but she certainly had agility and speed. Rey gulped, swallowing back all of that bitter instinct, and waited for him to speak. Looking him in the eyes, if she allowed her gaze to stray he would know she was affected. 

“Be ready in half an hour, I can’t be late.” He said, flatly. 

“I’m ready.” Rey replied, fingers digging into her knees. She didn’t move from her position on the desk, she felt glued in place under his gaze. The hairs at her nape were standing on end. Her jaw clenched, teeth grinding. 

Ben looked her up and down with exacting black eyes, snorting at her simple robes, “Drab. Always tradition with Jedi, right? Even when standing before your betters.” 

Instinctively, before she could stop herself, Rey bared her teeth to him. A low, threatening growl rumbling in the back of her throat. Her fingers tensed and relaxed at her knees, flexing like talons. 

“There she is,” Ben cracked a mocking smile. “I knew it wouldn’t take much to bring her out.” 

“Fuck off,” Rey snarled. The words came low and primal, her voice unfamiliar to her own ears. Her crassness surprised her, Luke would be ashamed. 

“Thirty minutes.” He repeated, then vanished from the doorway, leaving Rey alone to seethe. 

As soon as he was gone from her sight the tension bled from her body, leaving her with a distinct sensation of shame. For a moment, however brief it may have been, she had given up control. Hands shaking she slipped off of the desk, pacing over to her duffle bag where it lay empty in the corner. Within was a comlink and a datapad. Either could be used to contact Luke. One call, one message, and this could end, she would explain that it was too much, that being in such close proximity to another alpha would compromise her, that Ben Solo was an insufferable prick with an apparent death wish. 

But to do so felt like a failure. Luke was a beta, he didn’t understand the subtle social and biological intricacies that came along with being designated. He would see her concession as not only a mission failure due to her lack of self control, but as a failure of his family. This task was deeply personal to him. He had entrusted Rey to protect his own flesh and blood. 

So that was exactly what she would do, alpha bullshit be damned. 

Drawing in a steadying breath, she centered herself as best she could, caging up her inner beast once more.  _ There is only peace _ . She told herself.  _ Only peace _ . 

Then she stepped out into Ben’s finely decorated living room to wait on the couch. Forcing herself to adjust the scent of him which permeated the whole of the apartment. She studied the golden flowers stitched into the cushions of the couch, the etchings of Twi’lek on the glass top of the caf table, the paintings that hung on the walls. Her eyes were drawn to one in particular; framed in silver, it was an oil rendition of a city on an island, surrounded by water. It’s spires soared, glittering so brilliantly that Rey wondered if she might touch them through the canvas. 

“Aldera.” Ben’s voice shattered her reviere for the second time that morning. Shafts of sunlight reflected off the fine circlet he wore in the waves of his hair. His dress was resplendent; silk doublet and pants, inlaid with shimmering silver stars, thin lines connecting them like constellations. Under the doublet was a simple shirt of white linen. His upper lip was painted black, and his lower with a single stripe in reference to his Nabooian heritage. A single braid began at his temple and was clipped back behind his ear, an Alderaanian custom. 

“I’m sorry?” Rey started. Stunned by his strange beauty. 

“The painting you were admiring, it’s a likeness of Aldera. Capital of Alderaan.” Hard lines were drawn into the pale panels of his face. “Or, it was. It’s dust now.” 

Rey pursed her lips, feeling a momentary burst of empathy for the man. It must have been a hard thing to accept. The loss of a homeworld, and at the hands of his own grandfather, no less. 

“Are you ready to go?” She changed the subject, it wasn’t her place to comment on such personal matters, and it was strange to see him behave in a way that was so human. 

Ben nodded and Rey extended her arm towards the door, indicating for him to lead the way. 

His entourage of attendants met them at his personal hangar, hurrying him into the transport. They ignored Rey entirely, for which she was immensely grateful. They were loud and assertive and reminded her of the flocks of colorful jungle birds that would gather in great, squawking swarms around the temple in the height of summer. 

Rey drowned them out, instead focusing on their bodies and mannerisms. When she found nothing of suspicion she turned her attention to the interior of the transport. Studying each panel and crevice. Nothing. 

It remained so throughout the short ride to the senate building and again for the shorter walk to the private conference room in which negotiations were set to take place. Rey kept herself stationed firmly at Ben’s side through all of the movement, even partially shielding him from the flashing cameras of distant paparazzi with her body. 

He was well liked by the media. A holonet story headlined with his name was a guaranteed hit piece. The latest edition in the tragic tale of the Alderaanian royal line. 

She relaxed slightly upon entry into the negotiation room. There were senate guards stationed at the double doors and one in each corner, blasters holstered at their sides. There was no place at the table for Rey to sit, so she stood with her back pressed against the white marble wall, eyes roaming the many unfamiliar faces with keen vigilance. 

Ben shook hands with the man who seemed to be speaking for the opposite side. An older human with salt-and-pepper hair and watery blue eyes. When he called himself Silas Sella Rey’s eyes narrowed in vague recognition. The name was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. 

Then negotiations truly began and her mind started to wander. She had never been one for politics, always preferring her forms to study in her Padawan days. Her only duty was to Ben’s safety, not to learn every intricacy of his life. She scanned the room regularly, even occasionally dipping into the minds of the bartering diplomats, but she found no inkling of ill-intent. 

It was nothing more than a standard trade negotiation. 

Sighing quietly Rey resigned herself to what she expected to be an achingly long conference. She knew how politicians were, long winded, their words deceptive and laced with double meaning. It could take ages to hammer out an agreement that satisfied the wants of both sides. 

So, when Ben rose from his seat some thirty minutes later and shook hands with Silas Sella over a datapad, Rey’s brows quirked in curiosity. That couldn’t have been it, could it? 

“That was quick.” Rey commented as Ben approached her. 

He was smiling, eyes glittering with something like mischief. “Silas’ brother is a close friend of my mother’s. It didn’t take much buttering to get my way. I’m a senator for a reason, Rey, what the tabloids say has some truth to it, but I’m damn good at my job.” 

Rey looked at the retreating backs of the Chandrilans as they filed out the doors. Whoring and successful politicing weren’t mutually exclusive skills, it seemed. 

“We’ll have to find you something other than robes to wear to the gala.” Ben commented, snide. 

Rey blinked at him, hurrying to keep pace with his long stride as he strutted out of the room. The flock of attendants fluttered behind them, tittering over Ben’s victory. 

“Gala?” 

“Weren’t you listening?” He scolded, condescending without so much as looking at her. “A good bodyguard is supposed to be attentive. Silas invited me while shaking my hand, he could have pulled a blade.” 

Rey rolled her eyes, cursing the length of his legs as she jogged to keep up. “I wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying, but I was watching  _ everyone’s _ body language. I even looked into their minds. You were fine.” 

Ben snorted, “How nonchalant. It’s only my life on the line here,  _ little Jedi _ .”

Rey bit her lip to keep from snapping at him, fuming at his imperiousness. 

Unperturbed, he continued, “There will be a Gala next week in celebration of the newly formed alliance between the Chandrilan Trade Federation and the Alderaanian diaspora. This is a huge deal, it is the beginning of finding my people a new home. You can’t show up dressed like a  _ monk _ .” 

His gaze finally turned to her, dark irises swimming with disdain. 

Rey felt her lip twitch with want to curl, to expose her teeth and warn him off. She was an alpha too, and equally deserving of respect. 

Seeming to sense her inner struggle, Ben grinned wide. 

Before she could counter, they came to the doors of the main senate floor. Massive and white they swung open at their approach. A rush of cool, cycled air stirred the loose strands of Rey’s hair as they stepped into the massive amphitheater. 

The space was massive and alive with the shouts of a thousand delegates from across the galaxy. Debating and jesting and conversing all the same. It took Rey’s breath away, the sheer scale of the operation. She wondered at how anything was ever achieved with such chaos unfolding. 

A half pod floated to where they stood, fenced on three sides by metal railing. Ben stepped off of the platform that connected to the main floor and onto the grated metal of the device. He motioned for Rey to follow, eyeing her haughtily. 

“Come on. I’ve got a job to do. We’ll discuss your wardrobe situation later.” 

When she hesitated he cracked another handsome, infuriating smile, “Never hovered before? I promise you won’t fall.” 

Rey narrowed her eyes. He hadn’t garunteed that he wouldn’t push her. 

This time it was his lip that curled in a breach of his professional facade, bearing large, white teeth for her to see. 

“I said come.” 

Rey’s own teeth showed in response, and a growl tickled at the back of her throat but she swallowed it back. Body stiff she stepped onto the floating platform, standing as far away from Ben as the limited space would allow. 

He seemed just as uncomfortable as she. When she glanced at the exposed skin of his wrist she could see hairs standing on end. Two alphas in such close proximity was never a good idea. 

Yet there they were. And there they would remain for the foreseeable future, locked into an insufferable dichotomy of subtle vying. No matter how she might resist, Rey knew she was now locked into a game, a power play between herself and the man she was charged with protecting. She could only grit her teeth and try her best to outplay him, bending the rules to her needs. 

She wouldn’t fail Luke, she couldn’t, insufferable as Ben Solo might have been. 

As his flock of colorful, chirping attendants boarded the platform with them, Rey’s fingers curled around the railing, white knuckled.

It was going to be a long day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I know it's been over a month since the first update, but I promise I'm not abandoning this. I'm just letting it simmer rather than forcing chapters out. I want this to be a fic I can always come back to and write when I just want to have fun, because it's meant to be fun, ya know? 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Kudos/comments mean a lot to me <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gala.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided I would finish this fic because it's a gift for a friend and I enjoy writing it. Probably will be my last reylo fic though, because I have otherwise left the fandom entirely.

The week between Ben’s meeting with the Trade Federation and the Gala was a whirlwind. Stapled to Ben’s brightly colored side by duty, Rey was party to every triviality that went into attending such an event. The wealth and opulence she was witness to made her want to  _ wretch _ . 

She was a simple creature, from simple beginnings. She knew how the rest of the galaxy lived while these sycophants clung to each other's silken garments and vied for power they would only misuse. 

When it became clear that Ben had not been teasing her when he told her she couldn’t wear her robes, she nearly crawled out of her skin. It was a full week of bickering, culminating in one final confrontation. 

“ _ No _ .” She hissed, exasperated as Ben shoved another sketch into her face. She was sitting cross legged on his couch, no less than three designers were present, plus Ben. All of them were regarding her current state with underserved contempt, as if she was personally offending them with her presence and outfit. 

“You can’t wear the robes to a political Gala, Rey. Even Luke wouldn’t side with you. Pick a fucking design.” Ben slammed the page down onto the coffee table along with the rest. A dozen different dresses, each torturous in its own way. The pages ruffled with the force of his hand. 

He was right, of course. She had gone to Luke in her desperation, and he had blown her off. Insisting that it was part of the job she had undertaken, that a Jedi should not allow herself to be pedantic in the face of her duty. 

Swallowing hard, Rey relented. There was only one that wasn’t cut too deeply, that didn’t demand too much of her body, that didn’t threaten to parade her scarred, sun damaged flesh for all to see. It was a gown, beads cascading over it made to look like chainmail glittering over a silken base. Over the shoulders silvery leather hung like pauldrons. The hips were framed formfittingly in that same mock scaling, and it had a collar made from the same leather, which connected to a chest piece that only left a small window to the breast.

She would have prefered her chest entirely covered, but none of her options offered such  _ prudness _ , as Ben called it. 

It was meant to mimic the look of armor. She supposed it was the closest she would come to her robes. 

“This one.” She pushed the design towards him, her inner alpha snarling while, outwardly, she appeared only mildly displeased. 

“Finally,” Ben snatched it away, tone snide. “ _ Thank you _ .”

“Can I go now, Senator? I have more important things to deal with than fashion.” 

Ben waved her off without a word as his menagerie of squawking consultants closed ranks around him, babbling noisily about Rey's choice. 

Rey growled low, inaudible to all in the room save her rival alpha. She could feel Ben’s sable gaze searing into her back as she retreated to her room to meditate. 

  
  
  


The hours before the Gala were surprisingly serene. Rey went through her forms, adjusting to the feel of the thigh sheath Luke had given her to wear. Ben refused supper, and insisted that Rey did as well, so that their clothing would fit them correctly. He claimed that there would be horderves at the party. Rey thought it was ridiculous to deny oneself food for an outfit, but she kept her mouth shut so avoid agitating their delicately struck peace. 

Rey grumbled to herself and did as he bid. She needed to save all of her energy for the event itself, anyways. It would be a place of high fashion, hauty attitudes, and heightened danger to Ben’s life. Implements of death and destruction could be hiding anywhere in the flamboyant outfits the partygoers would wear, and if there were a place and a time to strike, this was it. She couldn’t waste an ounce of herself on an argument beforehand. Despite her distaste for the man, she had a duty to fulfill. 

And there was something different to his scent, something she couldn't quite place. Outwardly he appeared entirely normal, but if he were nearing his rut… Force help her, she didn’t even want to think about dealing with a catastrophe of that magnitude on a night like this. 

It was two hours before the Gala began, around nine in the evening, when Ben’s entourage arrived and all the previous serenity was promptly shredded by their ostentatiousness. 

Rey was corralled with all the gentleness afforded to chattel and herded into her neatly kept room where a makeshift vanity was already being prepared. The stylist half shoved her into a folding chair made of canvas, and she found herself faced with a small table and a mirror surrounded by bright white lights. The Twi’lek man pinched her cheeks and hummed thoughtfully before tugging a comb roughly through her hair. 

“Ow!” Rey complained, trying to wriggle away, but the human assistants had their hands on her shoulders before she could. She wondered if Ben had warned the stylist ahead of time that he might need backup. Good advice on his part. She hated this. 

The stylist  _ tsked  _ at her, “Beauty is pain, sweet girl. Sit still and it will be over quickly.” 

Given little choice in the matter, she tried to relax back into the chair. The Twi’lek continued to work with her hair while the assistants worked hurriedly nearby over a case of  _ something. _ Rey suspected it was make up, or maybe even the gown itself. Both made her want to cringe. 

She watched in the mirror as the stylist worked with skilled, practiced fingers. Straightening and then sleeking her hair with a clear oil before he began to work and pin it into braids. 

“What are you doing?” She asked. 

“Aldreraanian style,” he explained. “Considering the occasion, it seems appropriate. Ben will be donning the male equivalent.” 

Heat rose to her cheeks. She didn’t like the idea of matching Ben. It might imply  _ things _ she cared not to consider. It might draw attention, lead the countless, resplendent party goers to ask unwanted questions. 

Jedi did not make it a point to  _ match _ their charges. 

Still, Rey said nothing. She had little control here, that much was obvious. She just wanted to get the night over with. 

After he had finished pulling her hair back into a web of elaborate braids, the Twi’lek began to paint her face. This time he explained he was inspired by no culture in particular, only desperate to cover up the roughness of her sun damaged skin. In this she would not be matching Ben, who would be wearing a blend of Nabooian and Alderaanian paint. 

That came as a relief, and Rey shut her eyes and allowed the man to work unhindered. When she opened them once more she found all of her best features accented. Her cheekbones were nicely shadowed and her eyes looked wide and glittery from the liner and powder he had applied. Her skin looked markedly paler, which made her shift uncomfortably. She hardly looked herself, but that was the point of these things. 

“Now,” the stylist grinned wide and white, lekku shifting with anticipation. “It is time for the dress. Nilia will stay and help you into it.” 

The female attendant stood at attention, a black garment bag draped over her arm. 

Once the men had stepped out of the room, she turned her attention to Rey. 

“Strip.” She said, no kindness in her voice. 

Rey did as she was told, peeling off her robes uneasily as the woman mechanically removed the gown from its covering. When she held it up to the light Rey couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of it. Despite the beads that sparkled fiery, and the cascading silk of the skirt, the thing was far more refined than she could have hoped. She might even look powerful, once it was on her body. 

Some of her anxieties eased, even as she stood naked save her panties in front of a stranger. 

“Step in.” The garment was unzipped down the back, and the leather piece that would encompass her chest and shoulders was unfastened. 

Rey toed her way into it, and then it was lifted around her. The mock armor cupped and supported her breasts and clung snug around her throat as it was fastened. When she glanced herself in the mirror and saw how it formed to her body, Rey couldn’t help but look again. Secretly, she liked it. In a way. She still would have rather worn her robes, but there was something about the dress that made her want to purr. 

The attendant smirked, noticing how Rey was appreciating herself. 

“It suits you, a galactic warrior,” Then she produced a pair of silver, strappy heels from a black box. “Have you ever worn heels before?” 

Rey shook her head, mortified by the sight of them. 

“It’s not hard. Heel to toe, then like you’re on your tiptoes. Pay attention and you’ll do fine.” 

She helped Rey into the shoes then called the others back into the room. The Twi’lek clapped his hands together, beaming at the sight of her. 

“Perfect!” He exclaimed, “Sublime! I must admit I had little hope for you. You were so…  _ ragged _ when I first saw you. But now you are radiant!” 

“Um… thanks?” She had heard from more than one person that the Jedi strongly resembled space hobos. She tried not to take any personal offense. 

As the stylist and his assistants began to clean up, Rey continued to look at herself in the mirror. From the flowing skirt, to the billowy bell sleeves, to the weave of chainlike beads that encompassed her whole body; somehow the gown maintained her warrior’s mien. The range of motion it provided was more than adequate, she could easily reach her saber where it hung on her thigh. 

A few minutes later Ben was finished with his own pampering, and called for them to come out into the living room. As always, he was frustratingly beautiful with his hair braided back from his painted face. He wore a black velveteen morning coat over a medium length silken tunic which was hewn with tasteful gemstones. All of it clung nicely to the muscular form of him. Rey could feel her hackles threatening to raise at the sight.  _ And his scent.  _ Stars help her, it was intense. It was going to drive her insane. 

Despite her obvious ogling, Ben hardly seemed to notice her. Instead he insisted irritably that they were running behind, and rushed them off towards the launch pad. 

Outside the door of his apartment waited an entire retinue of senate security. Luke had insisted on their presence despite Ben’s whining, and Rey had agreed with her master. She would need all the help she could get if Ben was going to insist on this madness. 

She found the heel surprisingly easy to move in so long as she followed Nilia’s advice and paid attention to each step. 

On the transport, trapped in closed air with Ben and his aroma, Rey tried to breathe through her mouth. Thinking in mantras she tried to leash the alpha that was tearing up her insides, making her see red at their forced proximity. 

Then a horrible thought struck her. If he were going into rut, would he bring an omega home with him at the evening’s end? She felt ill at the thought. She’d have no choice but to trail them back to his apartment and try to meditate her way through whatever unholy acts they might commit. 

“Stay out of my way tonight.” Ben interrupted her thoughts from where he sat across from her, his voice was terse, “I will be speaking with diplomats from the galaxy over, securing resources for my people. I can’t have you interrupting with any of your Jedi banthashit.”

“You already have Chandrila,” Rey snarked. “What more could you possibly need for them?”

Ben rolled his eyes and turned his gaze out the narrow transport window. Outside Coruscant passed in a blur of endless light and sound, “The Alderaanian people are scattered to the wind, survivors exist in every ring, on nearly every populated planet. Millions of them. It will take more than a land agreement to bring them to their new home, to feed and clothe them, to rebuild Aldera as best we can. It’s my job to make it all possible.” 

Rey sat silent and stunned once more by his sudden and intense revelation of his responsibility, by his love for his people wherever they might be. Feeling generous, and lacking any other words, she replied; “That’s… honorable, Ben. I’ll stay out of the way unless it’s absolutely necessary that I insert myself.”

His brow knitted and he looked back to her, looking at her like he was just remembering  _ why _ she had to accompany him. “It might be necessary.”

Rey nodded, at least he understood the importance of her purpose. She wanted to ask him if he were entering rut, but that hardly seemed appropriate while they were surrounded by senate guards. So they passed the rest of the ride in uneasy silence. 

  
  


The venue itself was a grand hall at the top of one of Coruscant’s many skyscrapers. From the outside it was all chrome and durasteel fitted with tall, tinted windows. Inside it was much more grand, marble columns and floors swirled with golden patterns, painted walls and ceilings depicting scenes from various mythologies, and rich purple carpet lined with long, carved trestle tables replete with food and drink. 

“Oh, wow.” Rey marveled at it as they lingered in the doorway. 

Ben snorted and started off in the opposite direction of the food tables, much to Rey’s utter dismay. Her stomach growled defiantly, and somewhere behind them his name was loudly announced for all to hear, heralding his arrival. 

“Senator Ben Organa-Solo! Prince of Alderaan!” 

Set into a divot in the floor was a pit where a full orchestra played, and beside it was a dance floor bustling with bodies. The dances were elegant, chest to chest, hands clasped and cupping waists, drifting along to the music. 

“This is all so strange,” She breathed as she reached Ben’s side. Glancing around she could see the guards had taken up positions around the open space, all watching for any sign of trouble. It put her slightly more at ease, knowing she could call for backup. But still, the responsibility ultimately fell to her. 

“I’m used to it.” Ben deadpanned, clearly dissatisfied with her presence. Then he plastered on a false smile, black painted lips framing his white teeth almost menacingly, “Now shush, there’s an ambassador from the Kuat Sector.” 

The first half of the night was a blur of painted faces and diplomatic smiles. She paid little attention to the interactions beyond the body language of whomever Ben was engaging with. No one was particularly suspicious. She sensed no ill intent, detecting no signs of hidden weapons. All was well. 

Until she lost sight of Ben Solo. 

It was past midnight when they finally made their way to the refreshments. Rey picked at firm, blue eggs, and strange, fuzzy fruit speared on toothpicks while Ben only drank. He seemed satisfied with the results of his evening, and celebrated with an abundance of exotic wines and liquors. 

Given a moment to breathe, Rey noted how his scent had intensified even more than before. She was going to ask him about it, but turned to pluck one more olive from a gilded tray before she poked the beast. When she turned back, he was gone. The place where he had been standing had already filled in with other bodies. 

Rey paled, glancing left then right, suddenly frantic. She could still make out a few of the guards, holding their positions in the throngs of drunken people. She lifted her commlink to her face for the first time that night, and called out to them desperately. 

“I’ve lost sight of Ben. Do any of you have a line on him?” 

She received three nerve-wracking negatives before one man replied, “I just saw him moving towards the dance floor with an unknown human woman. I can’t see them anymore, though. Should we fan out out search?” 

“Yes.” Rey was stunned. She had expected to be leery of other attendees, but Ben himself hadn’t been a concern. He knew better than this. He knew his life was in danger at all times from unknown entities. 

_ Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.  _

Between the change in scent, impending rut, and the alcohol the fool could be anywhere, getting up to anything. 

She made for the dance floor, trying to catch his scent among the cacophony of others, leaning into her alpha senses more than she ever had before. She followed it down the steps and past the orchestra pit, across the entire dancefloor and back up the steps again. Past several frescos of nude Twi’lek playing in fountains. She followed it out a curtained door onto a balcony overlooking the city, then up an emergency escape ladder which led her to the launch pad. 

The trail ended there, where he had clearly boarded a vehicle and left the party without so much as a word to his security team. A secondary scent was now discernable, one that made Rey’s skin prickle with involuntary want and anticipation. An omega. One nearing their heat, at that.

The lecherous bastard. 

Rey was seething. She wanted to scream and shout and pull at her hair. Her alpha flashed its fangs. She was going to  _ kill _ that man when she found him. And she was going to find him. Alive and unharmed. Because that was her job. She would tear him off of that omega and strangle him herself. 

Rey, reddened from scalp to toe in her outrage, approached one of the various valets and waved a hand in front of his face, “You will let me take this transport, you will tell no one that I was here.” 

“I will let you take this transport,” he mimed, glassy eyed, “I will tell no one that you were here.” 

Then Rey was gone in the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rey's dress: [x](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/828521662683359621/) , [x](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/588423507545316174/) , [x](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/501377371009968794/)
> 
> This fic is fully outlined and almost entirely written. Expect weekly updates until it is complete.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They bang, yo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning** : There is some light hitting/biting between Rey and Ben in this chapter in the context of rough sex. Not BDSM, so there isn't any kind of agreement beforehand. If that is offensive or off-putting to you, I ask that you don't read any further than this. This Fic has been tagged with rough sex and power dynamics from the very beginning.

Astride her stolen speeder, Rey rushed for Ben’s apartment. Coruscant was unfamiliar to her, and she didn’t know where else to possibly begin. As she skidded to a bumpy halt on the landing pad of his floor she found the air heavy with the scent of rut. 

_ His _ rut. 

If she had claws they would have been extended and curling with instinctual outrage and burgeoning hunger. The scent of omega laced with Ben’s own was maddening. 

Rey’s vision flashed red and she moved with animalistic purpose, battling her own nature with each step. She thought she had more control than this; but she had never before been faced with such a heady blend of scent and situation. 

She didn’t want the omega. That urge she had mastered long ago. But the drive to engage with a rival alpha was at risk of swallowing her whole. She had a duty to fulfill, damnit. Ben’s life could be in danger, and if he were injured on her watch she would have to sequester herself away in shame. Luke would never forgive her. 

The external door guards recognized her despite her finery and let her pass without a word, though the furrow of their brows indicated that she looked as ragged as she felt. Her skin was too hot, too tight, and she raked her nails over the bodice of her dress imagining how easy it would be to tear it off. 

His door was the second on the left, and neither a senate nor a personal guard was stationed at it. He had truly snuck away, despite his size and drunkenness. As much as she loathed him, Rey never thought him a fool. It was almost impressive, that he had slipped away from so many sets of vigilant eyes. Still, she wanted to tear him to shreds for this. For the risk he was taking, how he was playing with her livelihood with such insouciance.  _ Bastard _ . 

A growl bubbled behind her sternum, but she stifled it as she overrode the lock on the door. Slipping quietly into the foyer, pooled in shadows. All was still, save for a vintage chrono ticking away on the wall. The air was positively  _ ripe  _ with the putrid stench of sex hormones. Ben and his unknown companion were certainly present, just disturbingly silent for the act they must have been committing. 

A shiver shot down Rey’s spine, and the air of the flat became suddenly cold. No, there should have been sound. Ear grating moans, flesh slapping lewd and wet and making her want to wretch. Something was very wrong. 

Rey drew her saber from its holster on her thigh, twin blades spitting to life and brightening the dim space of the entry with their yellow glow. The heels felt abruptly unnatural under her feet, but she didn’t have the time to deal with them. Swiftly, and with some staggered awkwardness she rushed for Ben’s bedroom, noting that the painting of Aldera was now crooked on the wall as she passed. 

The door was shut tight, light emanated from the crack beneath it. When Rey pressed her ear to the hardwood she was met with soft, indiscernible sounds. They weren’t inherently erotic in nature, but niether were they chaste or mundane. 

Cautiously, not wanting to alarm the pair, she pressed against the door. She was reluctant to face down whatever lay behind it. But it was her duty to  _ know _ . Then she could leave and bury her face in a pillow, try to blanch the image from her mind. 

When she had cracked the door enough to peer through to the bed, she found a salacious scene awaiting her. Ben was sprawled across the black, silken sheets. He was shirtless, broad hands on the hips of a half naked woman who was kissing across his jaw and throat. 

Scenting Rey’s presence, his smoldering black gaze met her where she crouched at the threshold. His smile was positively menacing, his scent; unbearable. She was nearly choking on it. The alpha inside of her was thrashing and howling and  _ begging _ to make him hurt for all his pomp and smugness. 

So caught up in her internal tumult was Rey that she almost missed the careful, flighty motion of the woman’s hand to her thigh, Slipping past her waistband not to touch, but to reach for something. She was right handed as well. Rey knew where a hidden sheath would sit. Then she saw the flash of a blade, glinting orange in the faint glow of her saber. 

Without thought nor word of warning Rey sprang from her paltry hiding place, launching herself towards the couple and skewering the omega on one end of her saber. The blade impaled her through her ribcage, entering one side behind her bare breast and emerging hissing and flickering from the other. The two women tumbled to the floor, one dying, the other groping to tear a knife from tensed fingers. 

Blonde hair falling into her face, sticking in her open mouth, she blinked weakly up at Rey. Pale eyes admitted defeat as she rattled out her final breaths. Rey cursed the fact that she hadn’t had the chance to interrogate her, to discern who was behind—

Ben, having recovered from his shock, pounced on Rey, jostling her saber from her hand with his bulk and pinning her to the floor. His teeth gnashed and spit sprayed her face as he spoke, “What the fuck was that, Jedi?! Are you that jealous of me?”

Breathing hard, fighting with every fiber of her being to leash her own froth mouthed beast, Rey gritted out through clenched teeth, “Let. Me. Up.” 

The knife still weighed heavy in her hand, searing her fingers with its importance.  _ Show him, he’ll understand, _ the rational fraction of her mind reasoned. But she did not want reason in that moment. No, she had forfeited herself to the beast in some way, and now all Rey wanted was respect from her lesser. 

“You’re a heinous little bitch, you know that?” His grip tightened painfully on her wrists, but her feet were left blissfully unhindered.  _ Idiot.  _

Rey only smiled at him, then slammed the hard butt of her heel directly into his crotch. Ben hissed and his hold on her faltered enough for her to tear free, pushing him over and onto his back. Snarling, she straddled his abdomen and grappled both of his thick wrists into one tight hold. With her free hand she brought the knife up to his face, dangling it before his eyes. 

“She was reaching for this, you entitled, pompous, little princeling,” Rey snapped. “She was going to kill you because you were too  _ horny _ to follow my instructions. Do you want to die, Ben? Is that what you want?” 

His full lips curled into a twisted snarl and he jerked against her grip, clearly startled when he couldn’t break free with his brute strength. She grinned down at him. Her years of training had made equals of them, it seemed.

Rey leaned back on his body, lording over him, and when her ass pressed against the clothed bulge of his stubborn erection a heady sense of power overtook her. Suddenly she was acutely aware of her own alpha musk mingling with his, of the heat that had long since pooled in her lower belly. Her temperature, her heart rate,the tightness of her skin, all of it made severe and sudden sense. A growl tickled its way up her throat, and he answered it. 

Ben’s rut had triggered her own, and now here she was, ass pressed into him, looming over him. All the power was in her hands, for once. The thought was immeasureably erotic. Overcome, given entirely to her bodily wants, Rey leaned forward and kissed him hard. 

He reacted immediately, kissing her back, hot and severe. All tongue and scraping teeth they met in the narrow, hot space that had lingered between them. Sensing his reluctant desire Rey let go of his wrists, freeing her nails to rake pretty pink lines down the expanse of his chest and abdomen. 

Ben snarled into her mouth, then broke away to nip at her cheek and chin and throat, rolling his hips under her. The nips turned to harder bites, leaving red marks over her tanned skin. Rey groaned, closing her eyes, giving herself over to it for the briefest of moments. Leaving herself vulnerable. 

Grunting into the skin of her throat, Ben’s broad hands gripped her hips with bruising force as he flipped them over, grinning into her skin as he topped once more. 

Rey flashed her teeth and clawed fruitlessly at his shoulders. Vision flashing red, teeth gnashing, the whole bulk of his determined body was simply too heavy for her to move. In that moment the Force was an abstract, forgotten concept to her. All she perceived were two alphas vying for power in the most natural of ways. 

The body of the Omega assassin was forgotten as they rolled and kissed and grinded against one another on Ben’s plush carpet. He managed to maintain his position on top of Rey, who writhed and bit and struggled under him, giving only what was needed of her, though she didn’t want to stop. She never wanted to stop, not until she had him laid out flat on his back and begging for her. 

Ben’s hands bunched in the beading and silk of her skirts. Vexed by them, he hissed into her ear, low and domineering, “I fucking hate this dress.” 

Then his fists clenched and he  _ tore _ , peeling the silk and beading and leather away from her body like a shell from a morsel ripe to eat. A fair comparison as his eyes lazily beheld her like one might a sumptuous meal. The lithe, muscular extent of her; lingering over her small breasts, smattered with freckles from years spent training in the sun. 

His thick fingers played along the waistband of her panties, snapping them against her flesh. 

“Off,” He demanded, holding her to the floor with one hand while the other cupped and squeezed her breast. It was almost painful, but when he flicked her nipple she keened, leaning into the sweetness of the pain. 

“No.” She hissed, flashing teeth. “Unfair.” 

Then, pressing a knee into his stomach she forced him onto his back again. She sprawled awkwardly, falling over him. He huffed but stopped resisting as soon as her small, endeavoring hands found his fly. 

“Of course  _ this _ would make you behave.”

“I’m not behaving,” he countered, then he let out a half purr as she gripped him under his trousers. He wasn’t wearing any underthings. Rey wasn’t surprised in the slightest. 

Force help her, he was big. Big enough to put a wide, stupid smile on her face. She worked his pants off of him with one hand while the other continued to explore his cock, dipping down to his balls momentarily and earning her another volley of purring, which quickly shifted into insistently growling when she pulled away. 

“Did I say you could stop?” He hissed, canting his hips insistently. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Rey teased, dragging a fingertip up the vein that pulsed on the underside of his shaft. “You’re not in charge,  _ Senator _ .” 

Her fingers played along the slight swelling of his knot, and she was viscerally aware of her own. Already it was clenching internally, seeking something to bear down on, to lock into her. Considering Ben’s size she knew it would be good, she was practically panting for it. But she wanted to be on top. She had to be, lest he start getting ideas about where their relationship stood. 

Climbing back up his body, she nipped a trail from his navel to his lips, leaving a dozen bite sized bruises in her wake. She liked him like that, underneath her, all marked up by her teeth and her nails. She licked away a bead of blood from a scratch she had left on his pec. 

A deep rumble emanated from his throat, and Rey echoed it instinctively. Logically, she hadn’t a clue what it meant, but her body reacted immediately. Her mind fogged, she became impossibly hotter and wetter between her aching thighs. 

Ben flipped them a third time, once more pinning Rey to the carpet despite the perfectly good bed beside them. 

“Enough foreplay,” he groused. Then he tore her panties away from her body just as gracelessly as he had her gown. It made Rey whimper and writhe under him, wishing she had given her own show of strength while simultaneously reveling in his.  _ Fuck _ , she wanted him so bad. She had never needed anything with such intensity in her entire life. 

Ben wasted no time in aligning his cock with her entrance, dragging the thick head of him through her wetness a few times. Rey hissed and dug her heels into his thighs, still wearing her impossible shoes. 

“Shhh,” Ben cooed mockingly. “Just lay back and take it, Rey. Give in, give me the lead.” 

“ _ No _ .” She spat, biting hard at his collarbone, drawing blood this time. 

Ben grunted then laughed, but said no more infuriating words. In lieu of further goading he simply canted his hips forward and began to pressed into the vice-like heat of her cunt; she was already half knotted from their heady foreplay, and Ben moaned at the tightness of her. 

“Fuck!” He cursed, and jerked forward, burying himself to the hilt, knot pressing hotly against her but failing to catch, “I’ve never—  _ shit _ — omegas don’t get this fucking tight.” 

His pace was uneven and rushed, cock pounding into her gracelessly; yet it was enough to draw a whining moan from the back of her throat. She clung to his shoulders, nails buried in his skin. 

“Omegas don’t— they don’t come this big.” 

Ben laughed sordidly, “Just wait until I come, you needy little— 

Rey, eyes rolling from the stretch and slide of him, had the wherewithal to paw at his face; a weak approximation of a slap, but enough to silence him. She rolled her hips up against his, savoring the sweat, wet sound of their bodies meeting. 

“Call me a bitch… call me that again and I’ll kill you, Solo.” She bit his throat to illustrate her point, just under his Adam's apple, and he grunted, pace faltering. Even under him, she held power over him. 

He seemed to enjoy the small pains she supplied, just as she enjoyed his. The brutal pace, the bruising grip on her hips and wrists, his rough pawing over her breasts. His teeth grazed her throat with enough force to make her wince and whine. He must have drawn blood, but it was sublime. 

“Stars you’re wet,” He panted into her shoulder. “All for me. Look what I’ve done to you,  _ Jedi _ .” 

He punctuated his words with three sharp thrusts. His knot was thickening, cock swelling as it threatened to catch. She would have offered sharp words in return had his dick not pounded into something utterly gratifying and completely dumbfounding. It made her vision flash white as he settled into a better position, driving into it with each deep cant of his hips. 

It was almost enough, she was almost there. Her cunt threatened to seize around him at any moment. Her heels locked at the small of his back, urging him to fuck her harder and deeper. She bit his jaw and whimpered, because it wasn’t quite enough, she needed more. She wanted to top, needed to have been on his back, coming under her. 

With a throaty snarl she hugged him tight with her legs, pulling their bodies flush. He answered the motion with a masculine moan before his eyes widened with realization, but by then it was too late. 

Rey flipped them, Ben landing roughly on his back as Rey sank promptly onto his cock; seating him as deeply as her body would allow. She rocked over him, fast and haphazard, and he canted his hips to meet her, giving in for the moment. By the part of his lips and the furrow of his dark brow she could tell he was close. 

His cock throbbed inside of her as she began to clench and seize, white hot waves of pleasure threatening to overwhelm her, emanating from her core with such vigor she could feel them in her teeth. 

“I’m gonna fucking cum.” Ben barked beneath her, large hands groping roughly at her breasts. 

Teetering at the edge of her own orgasm, Rey buckled forward. Nipping his chin she rasped between them, “I knot you, you knot me?” 

The cheekiness was lost on Ben. His hands dropped to her hips and he delivered a final, brutal thrust, seating himself as deep as he could as his knot locked into place. Rey followed immediately behind him, her own knot tensing and locking around his; clenching around him rhythmically, drawing more deep moans from Ben. 

Both of them rocked and whined at the intensity of the sensation; double knotted. It was like nothing either had experienced before. Full and tight and sated in ways they hadn’t known were possible. 

When the all consuming sensation of the first wave began to fade, Rey collapsed forward onto Ben’s chest. It was peppered with her markings; little bites and bruises to adorn his pale skin, and she traced her fingers over them in tiny constellations. Ben shut his eyes, exhaling hard through his nose as a second wave struck him. Rey’s body reacted to his twitching, seizing up with renewed vigor. 

“ _ Force _ , that’s intense,” Ben rasped, hands caressing steadily from her lower back, down to where her ass pressed against him, then back again. 

“Yeah.” Rey agreed, weakly. Feeling subdued. 

She glanced between their bodies, peering down to where they would be joined for some unknown period of time. Already an excess of mixed cum was seeping past Ben’s knot. 

_ Shit _ . She thought, flushing all over again. She was in rut now. Surely there would be more to come. It excited her to think about. 

“Just gotta— just need to wait for the knots to come down,” Ben rambled, canting his hips slightly and drawing another groan from Rey. 

She rocked back onto him, growling low in her throat. 

“How long does it take with two?” She asked, nipping at his chest again so he might never forget who he belonged to. 

Ben shook his dark head, face screwing up as another, weaker wave overtook them both. He managed to talk through it, “I don’t know. I’ve never done this before. But damn, it’s good.” 

Rey could only nod in agreement, finally settling on Ben’s chest as her cunt settled into a constant, hot squeeze around his cock. When she opened her eyes she was reminded of the assassin she had slain; the woman’s body was just a few odd feet away. Her eyes were open and glassy. It wasn’t enough to truly break the trance Rey had come under. 

“I have to do something about that body,” She mumbled, uncaring. Ben was still inside her, his hands on her back and ass felt too nice to even try and get up. Not that their knots would allow for any movement beyond further rutting and thrusting. 

“It’ll still be there in the morning.” Ben said. 

“We’ll still be in rut in the morning.” 

He laughed sardonically, “Yeah.” 

Rey shut her eyes, body still working in tandem with Ben’s. He began to purr, low and content. Rey answered him instinctually, giving little thought to what she had just done, or what it might mean, what sort of aches and bruises she might find in the light of dawn. 

All that occupied her mind was immense pleasure at having finished on top. 

_ Hers _ . Ben was hers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get intense.

Morning came with a fresh wave of heat and want and heady scent in Rey’s nostrils. Her body was stiff and sore from the night’s exertions, and she was halfway on fire with her rut once more. She and Ben were wrapped around one another, his head resting on her chest, his broad arms coiled around her waist, keeping her in a vice grip. They were in his bed now; lounging on a feather mattress, swathed in silk sheets. She noted the holes punched through the linens from swiping claws and gripping too tightly. 

At some point in the night her infernal high heels had been removed; a trail of curved bruises was blossoming down her calf, shaped like bite marks. That was right, she vaguely remembered Ben removing them with his teeth. 

Both of them were a mess of bites and bruises and scrapes. They had spent most of the night attempting to dominate one another; keeping score through the sultry haze of their ruts. Who had topped? Who had overpowered the other? As far as Rey could recall, they had collapsed at an even three-three, too exhausted and battered to continue. 

Now she felt revitalized, a few brief hours were all that was necessary to restore the previous night’s vigor. She preened that Ben was still asleep, snoring softly into her skin like a dependent little omega. Already heat was coiling in her middle, twisting up into her stomach severly, spinning her vision as his scent brought a rush of saliva into her mouth. She could see his neck, the crook of his shoulder pale and exposed, wanting for her teeth buried in it. 

It was an impulse that might have frightened her if she’d had her wits about her. But Rey the Jedi was gone; in her place lazed Rey the alpha, who so rarely was allowed out to stretch her claws. It was just a bite, after all. That was how things were meant to be. How could a man’s scent be so sublime and enrapturing if he  _ wasn’t _ meant for her? 

Eyes hooded and dark, she began to purr softly. Ben stirred at the sound, clutching her tighter and blinking the sleep from his eyes. Once he had ascertained where he was, he looked up at her and smiled devilishly, like he knew how thoroughly he had tainted her. Caring little for the Jedi Code in that moment, and even less for his part in helping her to break it, she noticed that his canines looked more pointed; perhaps he wanted to bite, too. 

_ Not before she did. _

With no sound but a low growl in her throat, Rey immediately seized control taking Ben by surprise. He hissed back at her as she pinned him to the mattress, wasting little time in rocking backwards onto his cock and sheathing him within herself. 

They both let out quiet groans of relief; knots already throbbing and tense, aching for release. 

“Force,” Ben breathed as she began to slowly rock onto him. “I’m so fucking glad you killed that bitch.” 

The body was still splayed out on the floor, neither of them paid it any mind. 

“Me too,” Rey concurred, breathless, words failing to express exactly  _ how _ happy she was. She could hardly think over the wet slap of their flesh and the blissful stretch of Ben’s cock inside her. 

Curving her body over his she nipped along the column of his throat as she fucked him, savoring the strange submission he was showing. Testing the skin with her tongue, she lingered over the place where her bite would go, and he let out a breathless moan in response. 

“Hardly wise,” He bit out past the pleasure, “Little Jedi.” 

Rey’s lips curled up at the mocking nickname, and she raked her nails down his chest in retaliation. He snarled back at her, and suddenly she was grabbed hard at her waist and flipped onto her back, their game beginning again. 

“Fuck you,” Rey seethed at him, then she whimpered as he angled his hips  _ just  _ right. 

Ben chuckled darkly, panting into her ear, “You  _ are _ fucking me,  _ Little Jedi _ .” 

He thrusted into her hard, her ankles locked tight at the small of his back.

She wanted to bite back, to sink her nails into his shoulders and make him shout. But already her climax was nearing. Fucked raw and wild the night before, her stamina was lacking now. Her nerve endings fired at rapid pace, all at once, crying out at the immense sensation she was experiencing. Her body was ablaze from her scalp to her toes, she could hardly think, hardly breathe. Then she was there; Ben fucking slow and rough over her, she didn’t have the wherewithal to flip him and claim victory; she was already coming. 

Gasping and snarling all the same, her arms wound tight around his neck, clinging to him like a vice as her pussy seized and she knotted around him. Locking him in so he couldn’t get away. His thrusts lost strength but gained depth as he happily allowed himself to be drawn in. 

Her mind awash with white hot pleasure, lost in a sea of sensation, she kissed him hard on the mouth. Then, against every screeching fibre of her Jedi self, she curved her neck and buried her teeth into the meat of his shoulder. It was such an easy action to take, for something so momentous. His blood was sweet and coppery on her tongue, and he came as her canines sheared through the flesh. 

Sinking in as deeply as their bodies would allow, his knot expanded, pressing against hers as she bared down on him. The sharp, hot sensation drew heady moans from the both of them. When he didn’t bite her back Rey whined high in the back of her throat, suddenly needy. She lapped at his wound affectionately, shutting her eyes and savoring the warm rush of his come filling her up. 

Over her Ben panted, eyes screwed shut. He dragged his teeth along her jawline, more affectionate than domineering. 

When their respective orgasms began to eb, and Ben collapsed on top of Rey, she tucked her face into his neck and whined again. Entreating him to bite her back before their climaxes subsided entirely. Already she was beginning to feel the impression of his own emotion upon her mind. He was confused, wanting but waiting, half thinking, body wracked with intense pleasure. 

“Why… why did you do that?” He whispered in question. 

Her fingers traced along the curved puncture wounds, fascinated by the blood that gathered on her fingertips, “I wanted to. You’re here and I’ve never wanted anything so much in my life.” 

Ben snorted, sordid, and ducked his head into her shoulder, kissing teasingly over her place. 

“You’re going to regret this, Rey. As soon as you wake up from this rut, you’ll regret it. You hate me, remember?”

Rey yawned, eyes fluttering shut once more. For once she was content beneath his bulk. She would even the score next round. 

“Maybe, but it’s done.” Promptly, she fell asleep once more, vaguely aware of Ben’s mind buzzing. 

Stupid, silly mate. This was perfect. Everything was perfect. 

  
  


She was startled awake an hour later by her comlink shrieking on the floor. Memories of the night before rushing back to her— the gala, escorting Ben, the assassin— she scrambled out of bed and onto the floor, groping through the fabric of her shredded gown. 

“Rey? Rey, this is Master Skywalker, you’d better answer me.” 

He was beyond pissed, she could hear it in his voice. How many pages had she missed while she and Ben were occupied? How much had she disappointed and failed her master while she was busy shirking her duty and forsaking her vows. 

A strange sense of confusion rushed over the back of her mind as she brought the device to her lips. Ben was coming awake in the bed. 

“Master Skywalker, this is Rey. I—

“What’s going on? Where are you? I’ve had a half dozen people and myself trying to get a hold of you all night. You and Ben both up and vanished from the gala.” 

“Yes… we did,” She replied weakly. Ben had thrown his legs over the side of the bed and sat watching her, wound purpling on his neck. His cock was distractingly hard but she bit back her rut in favor of covering her own ass. 

“Explain. Now.”

“Ben… He went into rut suddenly and was distracted and led away from the gala by an omega. I followed them back to his apartment and caught her in an assassination attempt. Her body is still here.” 

There was a beat of tense silence, Rey wondered how many other people were listening to their conversation. Was Leia there? 

“And  _ why _ am I just now hearing from you.” 

Rey blanched, behind her Ben shifted uncomfortably on the bed. Suddenly the weight of her actions struck her, all at once, it nearly took her to the floor.  _ She bit him _ . She ceeded all control to her beastial side and allowed the unthinkable to occur. Ben’s amusement at her dumbstruckness thrummed dully at the back of her mind. 

“Rey?” 

Jumping into action, Ben swiped the comlink from her hand. 

“Uncle Luke? I’m sorry Rey is still a bit shell shocked by the whole ordeal. The assassin used a dissolving chloro bomb in the struggle with Rey, it knocked both of us unconscious. We just now woke up.”

“The body is still there?” 

“Yes.” 

There was a rustling sound from Luke’s end, “We’ll be there within the hour. Don’t touch anything, we’ll need to gather evidence.” 

Rey stared blankly at Ben, shocked by the smoothness of his lie. There was so much evidence of her own transgression they would need to hide, how would he maintain the facade past a few cursory minutes? Luke would know.  _ Luke would know and she would lose everything.  _

“Good. See you soon, uncle.” 

Ben dropped the commlink back to the floor and took Rey’s shoulders in his hands. Face-to-face with him, her mind whited out once more. All she wanted to do was kiss him, drag him to the floor and fuck him in front of the dead omega. 

“Stars, you’re like a horny teenager. This is what so many years of repression does to you,” He complained. “Rey, we need to get this place cleaned up right now. I’ll make the bed and dispose of the ruined clothes. You go get dressed then go into my bathroom. Behind the mirror you’ll find a bottle of concealer. Use the darker bottle, it’s closer to your skin tone. Cover up the bruises and bites, use the sponge, wet it first. Got it?” 

He was determined to help her, she could sense it. A strange shift in the dynamic between them. She didn’t hate him so much anymore. She didn’t like him either. Really she just wanted his dick inside her again. 

Still at a loss for words, she leaned forward and kissed him chastely in response.  _ Thank you _ , she thought. But he could not hear her because he had not returned her bite. Wordlessly she left him to go change into her robes. She was hastey, and wore them as conservatively as possible to hide every bruise, scratch, and hickey she could. 

All the while her body still ached with her rut, but she was beginning to master it once more. She was almost entirely composed as she entered the bathroom and followed Ben’s instructions, patting the colored goo carefully over each blemish. Blotting until each was disguised as best she could. She chose to leave a few of the less conspicuous ones uncovered, she would claim the assassin gave them to her as they scuffled. 

A moment later Ben entered the room behind her, already dressed in his usual resplendent leisure garb that hid his mating bite with a high collar. He nodded in approval at the work she had done, “Good. Now move. I need to work fast.” 

Rey only rolled her eyes at his characteristic snippiness, and stepped aside for him. She watched half-entranced as he smoothed pale cream over his wounds. His broad hands were so diligent and skilled. She shivered, remembering exactly what those hands were capable of. 

“Later,” Ben promised, his gazing smoldering in the mirror. “Trust me, we aren’t even close to being done.”

“Will Luke know?” Rey asked, playing with her fingers in front of her, “Will he smell it somehow? Ben, if he finds out I’ll be expelled from the order, probably excommunicated entirely.”

“No,” He sounded stalwart, and she could feel his intensity like it was her own. “No, I won’t let him find out, and he’s a beta so he won’t smell anything. We’ll talk more about the bite later but there are ways we can deal with it.”

Rey nodded, unsure.

Just as Ben finished concealing the last hickey on his throat the sound of the lock begin overridden echoed through the apartment. The pair rushed out to meet Luke and the investigation team. A half dozen guards filled the living room along with the Master Jedi and Princess Organa. Leia’s expression was grave, Luke’s was harrowed. Neither looked like they had slept in a day. 

A pang of guilt echoed through Rey’s chest. She had done that to them. If she had just answered her com their stress could have been avoided. 

“Take us to the body,” Luke demanded with little pretense, not even a ‘hello’. 

Rey led them wordlessly to the bedroom. Ben had disguised their tryst excellently. The torn linens were covered in the duvet, which was slightly askew as though someone had slept in the bed normally. The clothes were gone as well. Rey silently mourned her gown. 

Luke knelt beside the body, examining without touching. 

“I thought you said there was a gas bomb?”

“Dissolving,” Ben lied smoothly. 

Luke nodded, lips pursed, “We’ll need urine samples from the both of you, then. We need to determine what type it was.”

“I said it was chloroform,” Ben argued. 

Rey felt pale and weak. Her rut lingered frustratingly at the edges of her consciousness. So did Ben’s, she could sense he was still hard. She wondered momentarily how he concealed something so unwieldy. 

Luke ignored his nephew and rose back to his feet.

“Snap?” He called to one of the guards, “Fetch two specimen cups.”

Ben scowled and Rey cowered internally. The chloroform gas was already a weak cover story. Luke would quickly find the assassin didn’t have a gas mask on her person. And, of course, their tests would come back clean. 

“You two go somewhere else while we work here. Leia…” Looked trailed off, looking at his sister with sympathy. 

Clad in dark robes, Leia lingered in the doorway, watching everything unfold with sad, perceptive eyes, “I’ll go with them. Ben I need to speak with you about options.”

“Yes, mother.”

They waited in Ben’s small living area until Snap returned with the specimen cups. Ben went first, then Rey. When she returned to the living room she found the Organa-Solos already deep in conversation. 

“It isn’t safe here anymore, Ben. Your life is in constant danger. They know where you live, where you work, your patterns and habits.” 

Even in her bereavement Leia was graceful, sitting with her legs crossed and her hands folded in her lap. 

Sensing she was not meant to be a part of the discussion, Rey stationed herself defensively behind Ben and stared straight ahead like he was in a bland political meeting. Only this was a conversation she was actually interested in. 

“I can’t just run away.  _ We _ as a people can’t keep running away from our enemies. It’s a sign of weakness, mom. And you’re suggesting I go into hiding, but where would I go that they wouldn’t find me? And how would I do my work?” 

Leia leaned across the glass topped coffee table and laid a gentle hand on her son’s knee. Her eyes were wide and brimming with understanding. They both cared deeply for the people of Alderaan. 

“There is a place no one would think to look. They likely don’t even know that it exists. I can have facilities brought so you can do your work remotely and in secret. Alderaan will not prosper if her prince perishes, Ben. Our people need you alive. I am an old woman now. If something happens to you, it’s all over.” 

Ben swallowed hard and nodded stiffly. Leia was right, “Where?”

Rey found herself holding her breath, about to be let in on some Organa-Solo-Skywalker family secret. 

Leia lowered her voice, “On Naboo there is a summer manor where the Naberrie family once resided. They have since fallen from favor, and do not visit it often, if at all. I had it requisitioned in my name, as the daughter of Padmé. Go there, take your bodyguard with you and hide away until we can determine the source of these attempts.” 

Ben relaxed a little, amiable to the idea, “What about you? They’re after you, too.” 

“Don’t worry about me, Ben. My life isn’t so important as yours, and one of us does need to remain to hold a physical seat in the senate.” 

“Mom—

“No arguing,” She raised a finger at him. “This is how it needs to be, Ben. Pack your things once Luke is done. You leave tomorrow at dawn.” 

Finally, she turned her gaze to Rey. There was a disturbingly knowing glimmer in her dark eyes, “You as well, Rey.” 

“Yes Princess.” 

Despite it all— the rush and the chaos and the shame— all Rey could think of when she looked down at Ben’s broad shoulders was the bite she had left there, and how she could sense his trepidation for the days to come. And beyond those things, Ben’s promise of more sex. She was quaking for it, all of it. All she wanted was him. She was supposed to  _ hate _ him, but suddenly, she didn’t. 

What Rey had done could not be undone. And they both knew it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More sex, yo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update!

The estate, named Varykino, was like nothing Rey had ever seen. It was splendid, comprised of circular towers topped with colorful domed roofs, nestled into quaint, dense foliage. It was in the center of lake country, and consequently butted up to the sparkling waters of Lake Convergence. She would never admit it, but Rey feared the water. She could swim, but its depth still frightened her. How easily it could take the air from someone’s lungs. 

The few short years she had spent in a sea of endless sand would forever color her impressions of the galaxy and its many verdant worlds. 

The inside of the manse was even more resplendent than the out. No two rooms were entirely fluent in their decorum, varying from pastel gossamer curtains in one sitting room to blood red carpets and black leather couches in a connecting study. The architecture was the only true unifying feature, domed ceilings, latticed archways, and broad columns appeared again and again, lending themselves to make the home seem all the larger. 

Rey had little time to admire it, though. Her mind was still flaring with barely restrained rut as they dragged their trunks through the massive front doors. She and Ben had  _ dampened _ their ruts quite thoroughly the night before, but being locked in such close quarters with him during travel had undone any progress they’d made. 

In his thoughts, which echoed dully in her mind, she could feel his own agitation spiking. Partially frustrated by this sudden move into hiding, but beneath that his own more primal wants were crying out for satiation. 

“My room needs to be adjacent to the Senator’s,” Rey demanded of the small guard that had accompanied them. They were dragging her belongings in the opposite direction from Ben’s.

Her eyes narrowed and she dipped carefully into the mind of the lead guard, a crimson skinned Mon Calamari named Dask. She found no ill-intent, only minor irritation at her request. Still, she was wary of the squadron. Only Luke, Leia, and these six men knew the true whereabouts of Ben and herself. One word and they could ruin everything. 

A strange new sense of possessiveness flared in her chest, and along with it a latent need to protect stirred. Ben would resent her for it, a formidable alpha in his own right, but she was helpless in the face of instinct. 

Eventually they settled her into a small sitting room that connected to Ben’s master bedroom. She wouldn’t even need to step out into the hallway to gain access to him. Immediately, she broke the lock on their connecting door with a twist of the Force. No one would keep her from his side. 

Rey shook her head slightly, attempting to clear it. On the one hand, it truly did make sense to disable the lock. One less obstacle between herself and Ben if something were to go wrong. On the other, she knew she had not been acting with any sort of sense in mind. She wanted him near because he was  _ hers _ , and that was how it should be. 

That damned bite was changing her, warping her mind in ways she hadn’t expected. But it hardly mattered when all she wanted to do was fuck him again. Perhaps she could even coax him into returning the mark. The gland in her neck ached demandingly.

The security detail set themselves up in a series of suites on the main level, far enough away from Ben and Rey to give her some small comfort. If one of them tried anything she would sense his coming well before he reached Ben. 

Finally left to her own devices, she sighed out the day’s nerves. The Nabooian sun was sinking below the horizon beyond the study’s bay windows. One of the moons was already peeking its pale face up and over the surface of the lake, coloring the lapping waves a soft silver. Stiffly, Rey sat on the edge of the red leather loveseat that would be her bed. Her muscles were tense, her jaw clenched. 

Faintly she could hear Ben rifling about in the master bedroom— an impressive suite with a vaulted ceiling dotted with sunports, a dark wood, four poster king bed, a full hearth, and a color scheme of dark maroons and weighty blacks which was more than a little suggestive of sex. 

She wanted to go to him. They still hadn’t  _ talked _ about the bite, what it meant, what they could do to maintain. But she knew as soon as she opened the door she would once more give herself over to the throes of her rut. Each mounting distraction had only proved to further intensify her want, each hour fanning her internal fires. 

Her vows faded further from her mind with each passing minute, until they held on a modicum of the importance she once afforded them. 

“Ben,” She called out from her place on the loveseat. Her travel clothes felt grimy against her skin, chafing and too-tight. Rey pulled at her collar. “Ben we need… we need to talk, soon.” 

The movement beyond the door paused, then Ben cleared his throat, “I was hoping we could ride the rest of this out away from each other.” 

“That’s stupid,” Rey sniped back, too quickly. She wanted him. She wanted to fuck him again. The score was even once more, and she needed to right that, pin him and show him once again that she was stronger, better suited to her role. 

“It isn’t,” Ben insisted. She could see his shadow under the crack in the door, his voice was strained. “It really isn’t. It’s just the rut that’s fucking with you right now, that made you  _ bite  _ me. You’re like an overeager teenager.” 

“I already bit you, what’s the point in hiding?” Rey demanded, rising furiously to her feet and going to stand opposite him, only the flimsy wood of the door between them. She could smell him through it, his scent musky and sublime. “I’m not like a teenager, I just know what I want.”

“I’m trying to keep you from making this worse for yourself.” Spoken stiffly, as if through gritted teeth. “One bite is easier to hide than two. You don’t know anything.” 

Rey laid a hand on the door, beyond it Ben’s emotions were erratic and swirling.  _ Her mate needed her _ , and her rational mind grew weaker and weaker in its resistance. He was confused, he needed her to show him the way. Two bites would be much easier. She tried the knob, but his hand held it firm on the other side. 

“Two bites is better, it would let us share thoughts, feelings. It’d be easier to hide.” She was breathing hard, pupils pinpricks in her honey irises, “Open the fucking door, Ben.”

“I can’t let you do this to yourself. It’s wrong.” He resisted, but he sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her. He voice was strained and rough, he reeked of rut. 

“We can’t undo the first, we might as well finish this. Break all the rules, make it official. Open up.” 

“Rey…”

Her voice keyed up, higher and whinier than any alpha had a right to be, appealing to his own need to please and protect, “Consequences aren’t for ruts, Ben. We’ll figure it out tomorrow. Please, please open up. At least let me fuck you again.” 

“I’ll be doing the fucking,” He groused, suddenly husky. Dam breaking, he gave in. 

Heat blazed in her middle at the promise behind the words. A grin split her face, “Open the damned door and we’ll see about that.” 

He growled, low and teasing, just beyond her reach. Beyond frustrated, Rey finally caved to her baser wants and seized the door as tightly as she could with the Force. Power rippled around her as she raised her arms and tore the damnable thing off of its hinges, revealing a very smug looking Ben towering on the other side. 

Rey tossed it aside and jumped him, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and her legs around his hips. She kissed him hard, nipping his lower lip and tasting blood as he stumbled backward towards the bed. 

Eyes flashing with mischief, Rey pushed the high collar of his shirt aside and latched onto the still healing bite mark. Ben gasped and melted like putty under her hands, bending into her touch as her fingers explored him over his clothes. 

“Who’s doing the fucking now?” She goaded as she let go, fingers making quick work of his belt and fly. 

Ben snarled but remained complacent on the sheets as her small hand wrapped around his cock. He snorted and threw his head, Rey spit into her palm to ease the passage of her hand. Squeezing him, she watched joyously as he twisted needily under her. 

“That’s it,” she whispered. “ _ Give in _ .” 

It took a moment of furious stroking for her words to register, but when they did Ben’s face hardened and he twisted away, dragging Rey along and pinning her under him. 

“ _ No _ ,” He seethed, hand slipping over her front, towards her trousers and what was waiting beneath. “ _ You _ give in to  _ me _ .” 

Seeing an opportunity Rey smiled up at him coyly and tilted her head to the side, leaving the crook of her shoulder wide open. Tempted, he dragged his aquiline nose along her shoulder and up her throat, scenting her enthusiastically. 

“ _ Do it _ ,” she breathed, combing her fingers through the dark waves of his hair. “Do it and I’ll let you lead tonight, Senator.” 

The ultimatum only made him laugh, and he ducked his head to kiss her hard. He dragged his fingers down the contours of her body with bruising force, cupping her breasts roughly through her robes. 

Rey moaned into his mouth, but pushed hard against his chest, not willing to concede unless he did. 

“I think I’ll take the lead anyways, little Jedi,” He goaded, pinning her by her hips and sinking sinuously down her lithe body. 

“ _ Ben _ .” Rey gasped his name as he shucked her beige capris clean from her legs. He kissed her inner thigh, eyeing her cunt hungrily. 

_ Oh _ . She had him in her mouth a half dozen times since this rut began, but never had they taken the time for  _ this _ . 

“You’re a beautiful woman, Rey,” Ben said, breath ghosting her sex and making her shiver. “It’s a shame that the Jedi would keep you locked away. From me, us,  _ this _ .”

He delved forward, parting her folds with two fingers and drawing his tongue over her lengthwise. Those same fingers quickly found her clit and he lapped at her a second time as they began to circle. 

“ _ Shit _ .” Rey cursed and arched her back, eyes squeezing shut. Fuck, she wanted to get back at him, but it felt to good to interrupt. Even to make a point. 

His practiced tongue probed, and she felt him teasing along the internal muscle of her knot. She whined and gripped the sheets. 

He pulled back and blew air teasingly against her, “Never done this with another alpha. That knot is sensitive, huh?” 

Ben didn’t give her the chance to reply before he greedily returned to work. This time he put his plush mouth over her clit and let his fingers dip into her. They circled slowly along the ring of her knot, then teased up and curled over it, making Rey shout. 

She was on fire from the tips of her toes to her ears, her whole body writhing against his tight grip on her hips. All of it radiating from his broad fingers buried in her cunt. 

Her knot began to swell, tightening around his invading digits. When he pulled them out he did so with a sweep against her, gathering her fluids on his fingers which he promptly sucked into his mouth. He held her fiery gaze as he licked them clean. 

“ _ I was so close _ .”

He grinned at her crookedly, “Didn’t want to get my fingers stuck.”

He crawled up her body, and she didn’t complain. She could see where his hand worked his cock between them, both still clothed from the waist up but blissfully bare where it counted. 

“If that happened I wouldn’t be able to do this.” 

With a single, swift movement he had his cock pressed firmly to her slit, then further still. Rey moaned at the sensation of being filled up; her half formed knot was already wringing around him, drawing him in further. 

When his hips were flush to hers, he set an even pace. The lewd sounds of their sex echoed in the high cieling. 

Rey boiled with combined pleasure and the urge to flip him on his back and ride him. But, gazing up into his sable eyes, she decided this was the best position from which he could bite her. 

Her gland throbbed in time with her aching cunt as he worked himself into her with mounting vigor. His cock stretched her wide, and pummeled her deep, and she could feel the sharp press of his knot begin thrust roughly against her own. It was utterly intoxicating, to be with him like this. 

Body already taut as a bowstring, Rey wrapped her legs around his waist and tilted her head up to kiss along his jaw and throat. He was tense, sweaty with exertion. Rey could taste his breath on her tongue and she savored it, nipping his pale flesh as she neared his mating mark. 

It was still a purplish red, freshly healing. She nudged it with her nose, and kissed the raw skin carefully, drawing a staggered moan from Ben. 

His knot began to swell, catching behind her own for a brief moment with each egress. Rey whined at the sensation, teetering at the precipice of her own orgasm, and she lowered her mouth onto his wound. It still tasted of blood, his blood, both sweet and tangy. Ben flushed under her ministrations, pace suddenly erratic, thrusts impossibly deep and filling as he worked into her for the last few moments before his knot caught and swelled against hers, hurling them both into abrupt and immense ecstasy. 

“ _ Fuck me _ ,” Rey gasped, letting go and throwing her head. The tanned column of her throat was on full display, and Ben was helpless but to take advantage as he finished inside of her. 

He dragged his teeth and lips and tongue over her, peppering her flesh with even more marks she would have to hide come morning. But, much to her climax muted frustration, he didn’t bite. He only left a particularly pretty bruise over her wanting neck and shoulder. One that no amount of make-up would conceal. 

It took a few minutes of writhing in aftershocks for her to find the wherewithal to complain. 

“Do it,” she demanded. “Now, before it ends.” 

He was still locked inside of her, and would be for at least the next half hour. Everynow and again another small wave would take them, and his handsome face would scrunch up in pleasure as she milked him for more. 

They both panted through another aftershock before he replied; “Are you going to leave the Order?”

Rey rocked onto him, while conversely glaring up at him incredulously, “ _ No. _ ” 

Never. It was her life. Her purpose. She was nothing without the Jedi. 

Ben’s expression soured and he stopped pumping his hips, allowing the sensations to dull and space out. 

“Then I don’t see the point in making this any harder than it needs to be.”

“It already  _ is _ hard Ben, we’re stuck like this. It’ll be easier if we just go all the way.” Rey gripped his biceps and finally managed to flip him onto his back, head inches from the headboard. 

Ben grunted as his cock and knot were jostled inside of her. 

“No. We’re already bound by the one, but the second would only further bind us. We’d be stuck, we’d never get away. You’d be expelled from the Order and I’d be disgraced for truly, thoroughly defiling a Jedi.”

Rey shook her head and braced her hands on his clothed pecs, glaring down at him. Suddenly another wave met them and Rey gasped as Ben grunted and thrust weakly into her. 

Rey glanced between their bodies, face flushed as she watched a rivulet of their combined cum run past their knots. It took another moment of panting to clear their heads once more. 

“We already have to hide the bite and bond. A second would link our minds and allow us to communicate better,” Rey explained. “We  _ need _ that now.” 

Ben’s lip curled, “What about the feelings, Rey? There will be feelings like you’ve never felt, feelings you can’t simply  _ suppress _ with your Jedi powers. And the ruts? We’d only want each other, like this there’s still the opportunity to enjoy the company of—

Rey’s hands pushed harshly on his shoulders, forcing him roughly into the mattress, “You’re out of your mind if you think I’ll let another woman touch you after this, Solo.” 

The words surprised even Rey, who settled back onto Ben, eyes searching the stuccoed ceiling for guidance. She found none, only further confoundment at her own behavior. This could ruin everything, but she wasn’t about to give it up. It felt too right, how could she ever turn back now that she had indulged her beast?

Ben swallowed hard, refocusing her attention. He blinked up at her, dark eyes gentle and oddly damp. 

“Rey… I can’t undo this. Once it’s done, it’s done.” He brushed a tendril of hair away from her jaw. 

Rey nodded fiercely, “I don’t want to be stuck in between. And we can’t go back to how things were before… I don’t even want to.”

She allowed Ben to flip her onto her back for easier access to her shoulder. The both moaned as their knots jostled against each other. He drew his nose along the curve of her throat, savoring her scent. 

“Last chance,” Ben breathed, but she could hear the desire brimming in his voice. He wanted it just as badly as she did. 

Sick of the stalling, she barked at him, “Fucking do it, Ben!”

He was quick about it. At first the pain of his teeth piercing her flesh was sharp and searing, then he pulled away and began to lap the wound and Rey came again, unbidden. She dug her nails into his shoulders and howled with pleasure. Through their newly formed bond he felt her climax as if it were his own, and he followed her over, rutting against her anew. 

Some time later, the sun long having sunk below the waves, three moons hanging high and brilliant in the night sky, Ben spoke. 

“I never thought I would mate with anyone, let alone an alpha.” 

They were fully naked now, Rey pillowing her head against her senator’s chest, “I was a law abiding Jedi until three days ago. Do things normally happen this fast?”

“For designated people? Yes. Most of the time you smell someone and you just  _ know _ .”

Rey tilted her head to meet his eyes, gazing up at him through chestnut lashes, “All I knew was that your scent was the most infuriating I had ever encountered. But I have almost no experience. Did you ‘know’ when you smelled me?”

She was curious. Perhaps he had returned her animosity with equal fervor all because of a confused scent. 

“I didn’t realize, but I should have known. Force, Rey, I jerked off like six times that first night. I thought I was just competitive, Alpha shit. I didn’t know to look for my mate within my own designation. I think I realized the first time we knotted, and then you bit me, and it didn’t really matter how much I knew. It just was.” 

Rey nodded, then added, coy, “I only let you come out on top tonight because I wanted you to bite me. So really,  _ I won _ .”

Ben rolled his eyes, “ _ Sure _ , let yourself believe that, little Jedi.” 

At his mention of the order she stiffened under the covers, her new bite throbbing more insistently. 

“What am I going to do now, Ben? I’ve broken nearly every rule in the book.” 

Ben paused for a moment, considering carefully before answering, “Well, for now you’re expected to spend all of your time around me, so we should be safe. Once this arrangement ends… we’ll figure something out. This doesn’t have to be the end.”

Rey sighed and closed her eyes, exhaustion weighing heavy on her limbs. She drew an immense sense of serenity through their bond. 

“Ben?” She asked, voice heavy with sleep. 

“Yes?” He was dragging his fingers soothingly over her bare back. 

“Does this mean we don’t hate each other anymore?” 

He chuckled softly in the dark, “I think so, Rey. Not anymore.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this is continuing to please <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naboo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little late with this one, I know. Sorry!
> 
> Also link to a new fic I started at the end.

Two weeks passed by in a whirlwind of activity. Ben worked ten hour days; appearing at the Senate house and in meetings by hologram. Then he would collapse after supper, utterly exhausted and frustrated by the new limitations on his professional life. Luke had been in contact with Rey; progress on the investigation was slow. Whoever was after the Alderaanian royal family was clever and hid their tracks well. He suspected the network expanded beyond Coruscant, and warned her to be vigilant. 

Rey only stepped away from Ben’s side to patrol the grounds each evening. It was much easier to be parted now that the bond was mutual, she always had a sense for where he was, how he was feeling. There were no secrets. In a way, every thought was shared. 

By no means were they  _ in love _ . They were still feeling one another out, learning what it meant to me alphas locked into a mating bond. Rey still found Ben to be quite the princeling, and she knew he did not appreciate her snark or unapologetic candor. 

No, they were not in love. But they were certainly  _ infatuated _ . 

Despite their ruts having long since ended, there hadn’t been a night since their bonding that they hadn’t ended naked and panting in each other's arms. It was impossible to stay away, inconceivable to even feign disinterest once they were alone in their linked chambers. And why would they ever want for separation when they found such ecstasy in one another? Rey knew it was foolish, but she had no intention of stopping anytime soon. 

That was where Rey found herself, wound up in Ben Solo’s arms once more, kissing his neck appreciatively as he panted beside her. They were both sweaty and sated, gracefully bereft of bruises now that their instinct had taken a backseat to sense. It was easier to accept a position when they weren’t mad with rut, usually they took turns topping. This night had been Ben’s. 

Rey hummed into his skin, tracing unseen patterns into his chest, “Force help me, I know this can’t continue but  _ that  _ was so good.” 

It was a common dilemma she faced. She had no will to ever stop what they were doing, but she always was distinctly aware that she  _ needed _ to if she were to maintain her standing in the Jedi Order. Suddenly all the rules about love and sex and marriage felt entirely unfair. 

Ben carded long fingers through her hair, tilting her head up so he could kiss her. 

When he was through, he spoke, having sensed her thoughts, “It  _ is _ unfair. How is this evil? It’s more natural than tearing into someone’s mind with the Force, or blowing up entire spaceships with your mind and casting lightning from your fingers.”

He was getting huffy about things with no bearing on gim.  _ Princeling _ , Rey thought, playfully. 

He shook his dark head and shifted his back up the pillows so he leaned against the headboard. Rey was left below, languishing in the sheets. But she didn’t mind the view. He was broad, pale, and handsome, scowling as a fire roared in the hearth. It glimmered in his eyes and cast his dark hair red. 

“I’m serious, Rey,” he said sternly. “I know you think I know nothing, but there was a time Luke was training me as a Padawan learner.” 

Rey blinked at him, surprised. Luke had never mentioned that, in fact he’d hardly even mentioned his nephew at all until she assigned her Ben’s case. 

She crawled up to sit beside him, nipples pebbling in the air. Ben didn’t seem to notice in his sudden mood. 

“Really? What happened?” 

A muscle in his jaw twitched, “I presented as an alpha. For a while I tried to maintain but it was so awful and painful to deny the truth of my nature. I thought it was unfair that I had to try and  _ cage _ something so inherent to who I am. All while he instructed me in  _ space magic _ .” 

Rey could hardly remember the years following her own presentation, they had not been pleasant. She trailed her fingertips soothingly along his cheekbone. She could feel all of his lingering rage and hurt as if it were her own, and she hated it. 

“I’m sorry.” There was nothing else to say.

“It’s part of why I hated you so much, you know.” There was disdain behind the words, yet he pulled her closer to his side, holding her there against his warmth, “That you had somehow managed to not only control your instincts, but  _ thrive _ under my uncle’s tutelage. It enraged me… but that didn’t last, did it?” 

Rey frowned and tensed, fingers curling into the linens, “No, I suppose it didn’t.”

All because she met Ben Solo, all because she couldn’t help herself. Years of training flushed away in a single night, over a single, infuriating man. 

Ben’s fingertips brushed along her healed bite mark, sending a shiver down her spine, “There is no taming the beast, Rey. No matter how hard we try. It’s unfair that it was ever expected of us.” 

“We can’t hide this forever, you know.” Rey admitted softly, despite the contentious topic at hand she felt safe in his presence, “Someday one of us will slip up, and I’ll lose everything because of it.”

Ben snorted, “It’ll hardly look good for me, either. That’s a huge scandal; corrupting the protege of the renowned Luke Skywalker.” 

Rey nodded in agreement, but secretly she knew it would be far worse for her. Ben would maintain his place as royalty, likely he’d even maintain his seat in the Senate. He would suffer his name in the tabloids for a few weeks or months. She would lose everything, be left with nothing. Nothing but him, if he would have her. 

“You know he’s grooming you for leadership, right?”

She’d had some idea, but never before had someone told her outright, “Yes. But I don’t think that’s possible now. I can lead a double life as an agent of the Order, but not as one of its leaders.”

She felt weak, her whole life upended by this thing she could not undo. Even if they stopped having sex, stopped seeing each other entirely, they were still bound. Rey had broken Jedi dogma. It was done.

“If we hide until you’re in a leadership position you could change the rules, Rey. You could make us legal,” Ben said, hopefully.

Rey knew better. What sort of leader would she be to bend the rules to accommodate her own mistakes? And beside that, there wasn’t a chance they’d make it that long. They were lucky that none of the security detail had caught them yet, or overheard their nightly exertions. 

“Maybe,” she permitted, doubtfully. “For now let’s keep taking it day by day, deal with things as they come.”

“M’kay,” His voice was muffled into her throat as he kissed her, having finally taken notice of her breasts, “‘M hard again.” 

“I top this time,” Rey said breathlessly as he teased over her flesh. 

“Yes ma’am.” 

Rey yanked him up by his hair and kissed him roughly. 

  
  


Three days later Ben decided to take an afternoon walk through the gardens. Naturally, Rey followed. 

She didn’t bother remaining a step behind him like she might have on Coruscant, here they were like equals. 

The day was bright and warm, balmy beside the lake. Rey could name none of the plants by species, but each one seemed to be expressly chosen to accentuate the looks of its neighbors. There were large bushes replete with heavy, blue fronds. Bulbous, single stem flowers topped with sunny yellow blooms looked up to the sun itself. The paths were paved with stone, their fringes lined with a furry orange moss. Dozens of other verdant species walled their path, each one as eye catching as the last. 

Everything smelled sweet, like the spring. 

Rey drew in a deep breath, centering herself on the vibrant presence of the plant life. 

Ben paused as the path bowed towards the lake shore. There was a short beach of grey sand which was lapped lazily by rolling blue waves. 

Rey stopped beside him and commented, “It’s a beautiful day.”

Ben hummed in agreement and stepped off of the path, parting a few sparse ferns so he could stand on the beach proper. He left boot prints across the sand. Rey ogled them as she followed, always taken aback by his sheer size. 

“Do you know why it’s called Lake Convergence?” Ben asked when she reached his side. The water was nearly rippling around their toes with each ingress, the sand wet around their feet. 

Rey shook her head. 

“The Palpatines once owned a manor that sits on this very same lake, it was called Convergence. It’s still there though it is under new ownership.” 

“Ah.” Rey didn’t know what to say. Even here at his ancestral home he could not escape the cruel reality of his past. 

“Please don’t pity me.” He looked down at her and caught her gaze. His eyes were rich, black, and intense; brimming with emotion. 

Then they shifted, quick like a play of the light. He looked almost…  _ mischievous _ . 

Rey tensed, “What is it?”

Ben smiled, wide and playful, “Hot day, isn’t it?”

The words were almost menacing, and Rey began to edge back towards the path, “...Yes?”

Suddenly she was anchored in place, unable to escape any further towards the estate. She struggled, then glared at Ben where he watched her, smug.

The bastard was using the Force. 

“Ben, what are you doing?” 

“Swim with me,” He said, already pulling his vest from his dress pants. “The water is nice and cool.” 

All that to ask her to swim? The man really did just enjoy vexing her. 

“I don’t care much for open water,” she confessed, because there were no secrets between them now. 

Ben was naked, clothes scattered haphazardly over the sand, “I’ll be with you the whole time.” 

“Ben…” He had freed her, and she began to turn towards the path once more. 

“Rey,” His deep voice was suddenly intense, he captured her gaze again, and despite his nudity she could not look away from his enrapturing eyes, “I won’t let anything happen to you. Ever.” 

_ Oh. _

The day was warm but Rey shuddered under his eyes. She could feel his assuredness through the bond, his care. 

“Okay,” Rey relented. She began to peel her own clothes away, all the while under Ben’s eyes. She could feel him appreciating her body, it was a distinctly non-sexual appraisal but still, she flushed at it. 

“Well?” She asked once she was stripped, toeing nervously across the sand towards him, “Are you going to get in or what? I won’t until you do.” 

It was stupid for her to think that there might be monsters lurking beneath the lake’s murky surface. She knew that it was stupid. Still, thoughts of tentacles and beaks and dozens of unblinking eyes filled her mind. 

Ben grinned at her crookedly and turned towards the water. With a few, graceful, loping steps he was chest deep, beckoning her in with a glistening hand. 

“Come one, Rey! It feels good.” 

He swam towards her a ways, expression gentle. 

Rey swallowed hard and toed into the froth of the lapping waves. Ben was right, the water was pleasantly cool. 

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said, “I’m here.”

Rey steeled herself, setting her eyes on Ben’s pale flesh where he bounced lazily along the bottom. She never looked away. Not as the water reached her ankles, nor her knees, her belly button, not even her breasts. He moved towards her so she wouldn’t have to take her feet from the bottom, and when he met her his hands encircled her waist, hauling her towards him. 

“See,” he breathed into her ear, achingly close. “You did it, no monsters here. And I’ll fall on your saber before I let you drown, little Jedi.”

Blinking up at him, Rey ran her hands over the dripping expanse of his chest. He was so beautiful standing there, the afternoon sun catching in each bead of water that spotted his large body. He almost shimmered.

_ Oh. _ Rey thought again, forgetting the water all around her and realizing something exigent to her situation.  _ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. _

All of her fears entirely forgotten in the succor of his broad arms, Rey bounced up off of the silty lake bottom and kissed him hard on his wide mouth. Her arms wound around his neck, her fingers into his hair, legs locking around his waist. 

Ben moaned softly and kissed her back, and she knew he felt it too. 

Force, she hoped it never had to end. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started a new fic this week, here's the link! I greatly appreaciate if people gave it a shot even though it's very new lol. [Link](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24398317/chapters/58854151)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day trip to Theed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated the chapter count, oop

Four days after their beach excursion something astonishing happened. While sipping his morning tea and preparing for the day to come, Ben Solo found that there was an opening in his schedule. A whole day left blissfully blank. He had inadvertently left the entire day to himself, free of meetings and senate hearings. He hadn’t even allotted time for his usual planning and strategizing. The square of empty space blinked up at him from the datapad, full of endless promise. 

Rey was amused by his wonder at the revelation. 

He leaned over his desk, palms flat on the wood as he gawked at the device. 

“A day off… I never take a day off, Rey.” 

“Well, I’m sure we can find you something to do.” Her hand brushed over her robes, ghosting her lightsaber. Ever since he had revealed his padawan status to her she had secretly wondered if he still had his own saber. She wanted to spar with him, both for entertainment and to sate her alpha need to dominate him. Surely, she would win such a match. Agility trumped size. 

“I’ve already thought of something,” he stood up and gave her a small smile. “We’re going to Theed.”

Rey blanched, “ _ What _ ?” 

“Theed, capitol city, we’re going there. Today. Now. I need to get out of this house.”

“Absolutely not,” she nearly stomped her foot to emphasize her distaste. 

“It’s not up to you.” He declared with familiar snideness. Dark eyes flashing as his form was silhouetted in the bay windows. 

Rey rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, “You do remember that  _ assassins _ are out to get you, right? The point in coming here was to  _ hide _ .”

Ben was unswayed, crossing his own arms defiantly, “No one knows that I’m here, Rey. I’ll wear a cowl, they’re a popular fashion right now, no one will suspect a thing.” 

He began to rifle through his dresser, quickly producing a thin, satin cloak topped with a hood. It was the color of the sky and embroidered with silvery floral patterns. 

“Stars help me you are utterly determined to vex me, aren’t you?”

“I’m utterly determined to get out of this house for a day. In fact, I command it.” 

Gritting her teeth, Rey replied, “I only take commands from Luke, Ben. And I have been commanded to  _ protect you _ . That is my priority, not bending over backwards to fulfill your every stupid whim.”

His voice dropped, almost threateningly, a battle of wills unfolding between them. Slowly, he wrapped the cloak around his shoulders. “You were ordered to protect me no matter where I went, or what I did, not to keep me under lock and key. In our professional relationship I am in charge. I make the decisions. You are simply an advisor and a bodyguard.” 

Rey’s shoulders slumped, eyes shimmering desperately in morning light, “And if I appealed to you non-professionally?” She took a hesitant step towards him, tilting her head slightly. “As your…”

Ben blinked and straightened up a bit, then closed the distance between them in two swift steps. He cupped her jaw, looming over her, craning her neck to meet his eyes. His massive body radiated warmth and Rey suppressed a shudder under his gaze. Her physiological reaction to his proximity was immediate and unwelcome; warmth rising as a flush in her cheeks, her heartbeat intensifying in her chest. Now she was neither an advisor nor a bodyguard, she was only an idiot girl, an incompetent sinner laying her heart bare to her sin. 

“If you appealed to me as my what, my  _ mate _ ?” 

He caught her by her biceps, she could feel the heat of his hands through her sleeves. They were huge, he dwarfed her. The Jedi swallowed hard, “Yes.”

He smiled at her lopsidedly and brushed the pad of his thumb over her mouth. “If you did that I would kiss you—

Ben pressed his mouth chastely to hers. Rey melted into his touch, into the gentleness of his kiss. When he pulled away he breathed against her mouth, “—and then I would tell you that everything is going to be alright.”

“ _ Ben _ .” She gripped at his cloak, exasperated. 

He kissed her forehead then stepped away, breaking her hold on him. “There’s no point in arguing, little Jedi. I’ve made up my mind. Go have some of the security detail dress down so we don’t draw any unwanted attention.”

With a defeated sigh, Rey gave in, “Fine.”

Ben paused where he was fiddling with an ancient fountain pen, eyes appraising her current state of dress. He didn’t seem particularly impressed by her Jedi robes, “You should change, too. People know what those mean.”

“Of course,  _ Senator _ .” She snarked before stomping back into her study-turned-bedroom. 

Force help her, he was just as infuriating as her mate as he had been when he was simply her charge. She wondered if Leia or Han had ever dared to use the word ‘no’ with him as a child. 

“Entitled prick,” She mumbled to herself as she changed into a set of less conspicuous clothing. The leggings were ribbed and pocketed, the shirt was plain white and the jacket was black leather. Hardly up to Ben’s ridiculously high standards of fashion, but she would pass well enough as a spacer or smuggler in the streets of Theed. Though, she may have looked odd next to Ben in his resplendent dress. 

He was playing a hard game with her, using his status to overrule her own more practical will. Rey grit her teeth. He wouldn’t get away with it, she would have her due respect, one way or another.

_ I heard that _ , he spoke into her mind. 

“Good!” She shouted back through the door. It was going to be the sort of day that tested Rey to the last fibers of her patience, she knew it.

Perhaps, she thought, she should take it as a friendly challenge. They were both alphas after all, it was who they were, what they did. A mated pair bound up in a ceaseless power struggle. She only wished he weren’t so lax in regards to his own life. 

  
  


In the end Rey decided to bring five of the security team with them. Each man, or alien, was dressed down into civilian clothing. Each was more nondescript than the last in their beiges and grays. Simple sleeved tunics and dark pants. All billowy enough to disguise the thin armor vests and plates they wore underneath.

She briefed them, making her disdain obvious, and made it clear that they were not to become distracted by the city, no matter its grandiosity. Ben was their singular priority, their eyes weren’t to waver from him and his immediate surroundings. 

“Do you understand?” She asked, arms crossed as she beheld them lined up before her. 

“Yes.” They all said, she could see in their eyes and the posture of their bodies that they were intimidated by her. 

_ Good _ , she thought. If they were afraid of her they would listen. And that was what she needed from them; obedience.

The transport ride from Varykino to Theed was short and silent. Rey stood stiffly, gripping a metal bar for support. Ben beckoned with his eyes for her to come and claim the empty seat beside him, but she was stubborn and still irritable after their morning row. 

_ Come, _ he thought at her loudly, too loud for her to even pretend to ignore. 

_ I’ll stand,  _ she glared daggers at him, mouth set in a firm line. She wasn’t going to play into his games today, she wasn’t in the mood. Besides, she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted from her work, not even by him. Especially not by this thing between them. Maybe she would indulge once they returned safely to the estate, but for now she would play the bodyguard.

Ben stretched to disguise his soured expression, then he reclined in his seat, shutting his eyes to feign sleep. The rest of the team seemed to sense the tension between the Jedi and senator, and so they were equally on edge. 

By the time they reached their destination Rey felt ready to crawl out of her own skin. 

Ben stirred back to a wakeful state just in time for the ramp to drop and the pilot to call back to them that it was time to disembark. 

Rey strode up to the cockpit and informed the man in a hushed and urgent tone, “Three hours then you meet us here. If you see or hear any trouble come right away.” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

She pocketed a com link, the pilot possessed a matching one. Their ticket out if anything went awry. 

“Rey.” 

She turned to see Ben waiting for her impatiently at the top of the ramp. He tapped his foot and scowled, “I’m not supposed to go anywhere without my babysitter.”

Rey rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Oh please don’t tell me we’re back to this again.”

The senator ignored her and stomped down the ramp once she had reached his side. The rest of their party was already waiting on the landing pad, gazes drawn and distracted by the bustling market below. 

Rey had to admit that the city was splendorous with its glimmering domed roofs, set back on high cliffs into the mighty waters of the Solleu river. There was a breeze from the water. In the distance she could see the great dome of the royal palace dwarfing all the rest. 

“Your grandmother was the queen of this?” She asked without thinking. She was supposed to be angry, but all she felt was awe. 

“Yes,” Ben replied, taking it in though it must have been familiar to him. “She was elected queen before she became a member of the senate. She advocated for a peaceful resolution to the Clone Wars, as well as widespread democracy in the galaxy.”

Ben’s dark eyes shone with reverence, “She is what I aspire to.” 

Rey hummed and followed as Ben donned his hood then led them down from the landing pads to the market proper. It was a massive circle walled in by dozens of shops, save for a single, narrow street that led back towards the royal plaza. Within the circle were rings of carts and metal stalls filled with merchants toting their wares enthusiastically. 

Everything was splendid, from the patterns etched into the paving stones to the striking outfits the human and gungan natives wore. They made Ben look drab by comparison, and Rey might as well have been naked beside some of them. It was easy to spot all of the other off worlders in the crowd, dressed more practically. 

Ben led them through the throngs of bodies, keeping his head tilted downwards to cast a shadow over his face. Rey followed alertly at his left, stalwartly refusing to be distracted by the veritable cornucopia of glittering baubles, trinkets, and cultural artifacts of questionable origin that suddenly surrounded them. 

“Where are we going?” She asked, dodging a twi’lek’s lekku as she struggled to keep pace with her mate. She didn’t dare look back to see how the security detail was doing, she was certain she would be disappointed. How could they not be drawn in by all the beautiful chaos?

When he didn’t reply she called out with more vigor, “I hope you have someplace in mind!”

“I do.” 

He kept his back to her, voice stiff. It was then that Rey realized this could easily be another power play; the bastard. Not only had he dragged her out to this forsaken city, he was going to drag her through it as well. Kicking and screaming if he had to, because even here, lingering in the wide mouth of looming danger, she was beholden to his will and whim. It was an obvious display of his power over her, how she was forced to bend to his desires. Not as his mate, but as a Jedi in his employ. 

Rey’s vision flashed red, but with a Jedi’s fortitude she suppressed the urges of an angry alpha. She followed behind him, newly resolute in her duty. It was her job to protect him, prickish attitude or no, she would do what was asked of her and then she would scream at him once they were alone that night. Maybe she’d fuck him into the mattress, too. Show him who was really in charge. 

He paused momentarily in front of a tea merchant’s wooden stall. A native human by his dress, his wares looked expensive, wrapped up in silken bags or held in engraved canisters. They were tied off with ribbons and tagged for authenticity. 

It was as Ben bartered over a bag of Toydarian blend that Rey noticed the first distant flash. It was odd, and initially she passed it off as light refracting off of some passing button or belt buckle. But then it happened again, quick and then absent, and again. 

Alarmed, she spun in a circle, pleased to see their entourage had not become lost. But her pleasure quickly faded as she honed in on the source of the strange flashes. Up on the second level of the circle, half hiding within the drapery of a shop, was a human woman with a camera. 

“Paparazzi,” Rey cursed under her breath. 

Ben’s location was meant to be a secret. Someone had tipped the press off that he was hiding on Naboo. Who? Why?

She gave her head a slight shake, those things didn’t matter. They needed to leave, immediately. 

“Ben.” She hissed over his shoulder as he bickered with the merchant, “Ben we need to leave.”

He tilted his head in her direction, half acknowledging her but giving her no other indication of attention. There was more flashing now, they were beginning to draw attention from casual passers by. 

Rey motioned with her hand for the men to be on guard. 

_ Bastard _ , she spoke into his mind. 

A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips as he finally wore the merchant down to a reasonable number of credits. 

_ Relax. They’re just paparazzi. I deal with them every day on Coruscant. _

“If they know you’re here, anyone could,” Rey snapped aloud. Her saber was practically burning a hole in her hip. She knew that drawing it would immediately draw out any lurking assassins, but it would also bring attention to them while they were otherwise  _ mostly _ inconspicuous.

Sucking in a sharp breath, she resolved herself to wait and see how the situation unfolded. 

Would it give them away if she Force carried him back to the transport? 

“Don’t even think about it,” he said as he turned back to her. He passed his newly acquired tea to one of the men to carry. “The papzo are annoying but harmless, Rey. You don’t need to start worrying about potential plots until tomorrow, once my face has actually appeared in a publication.”

The sun was beating down hard on them. Rey was sweating at her collar which she tugged at anxiously. 

“Ben, if there’s a leak anybody could know you’re here,” she would drop to her knees and beg if that’s what it took. “We need to leave.” 

Ben scowled down at her, face dark beneath his hood, “Fine, but there’s one more place I need to go. It shouldn’t take long.” 

Rey gritted her teeth in frustration. He was going to get himself killed, “ _ Ben— _

“One more stop,” he interjected, already turning back to meet the crowds, easily carving a path through them with his size. Cameras continued to flash from above, a small group of journalists having gathered. As Ben moved they scrambled to find better positions. 

Rey let out an exhausted sigh and gave chase, the security team behind her. 

As Ben led them through the winding walkways of the market Rey extended her mind outward searching for the slightest inkling of malice. She found none, only encountering countless people going about their shopping and the acute anxiety of the guards who trailed her. 

She scanned her surroundings nervously, looking everywhere but seeing nothing. The walls of bodies shuffling past felt like they were closing in. 

Desperately, she gripped the trailing sleeve of Ben’s robe and held tight as he led them forward. 

_ It’s alright _ , he soothed. His words might have been like a balm over her mind were she not already so overstimulated. Overhead the cameras flashed, a few of them had moved down to ground level. She wanted to draw her saber and fend them all off, to whisk Ben away from whatever dangers lurked around them.

He was her mate, this went beyond duty. It was deeply, and profoundly personal. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to remove him from the danger that was suddenly posed. Her alpha hissed and spat and flexed her claws menacingly. In spite of this, Rey was helpless but to follow her partner. 

They came to one of the shops set back into the sandstone wall of the market. The high ceiling was supported by four vase shaped columns with violet drapery hung between them in a sweeping fashion. It was dim inside, lit by low, humming lights. The air smelled of incense. Along the walls were hung garments of many shapes and sizes, all fashioned from vibrant, expensive fabrics. Adjacent to each wall was a long glass case, inside were countless jewels and treasures; golden rings topped with glittering gemstone, bracelets made from hair’s breadth ropes of gold and silver, brooches of platinum and sapphire and ruby. 

Rey gawked as Ben approached the counter which was bracketed between two pillars. They didn’t even have to step inside. In fact they couldn’t; the jewelry cases blocked their entry. 

Behind the counter waited a human man of simple but refined dress. His moustache was gelled into points, and on his head he wore a tall, red hat. 

“How may I be of service today, sir?” He asked. His voice was high and haughty. 

“Rings,” Ben replied. “Something simple and durable, but still beautiful.”

Rey had turned to face the small crowd of paparazzi who held back at the edge of the freestanding market. Sensing no danger from within the shop, she watched the crowd and grimaced irritably at the steady flashing of cameras. 

The security detail had split in half and moved into two positions. Three staring down the crowd like Rey, and two standing behind Ben. They were all nervous, hands hovering over their concealed blasters. 

She wanted to shout at the gathering crowd, wave her arms, brandish her saber and run them off for the danger they were putting Ben in. It wasn’t fair to him that this was his life. The cameras didn’t seem to phase him in the slightest as he discussed pieces with the jewel merchant. 

_ Wait _ , Rey half turned, keeping the crowd in her periphery as she looked back to Ben, lips parted in confoundment. Brow furrowed, she watched him examine a ring of gleaming platinum. A single rope of gold was wound around it. Not a gemstone to be seen. Simple, practical, classy. 

_ A ring. _

Was this another power play, or was he actually flaunting an engagement ring in front of her. Purchasing it in public, before her very eyes where she would dare not object? 

The breath was gone from her lungs, her fingers tingled numbly at her sides. She sensed no smugness, no ill-intent nor disdain from her mate. He was focused, almost determined as he held the ring up to examine it in better light. 

For a moment Rey forgot her duty, caught up in a strange internal battle. She hardly knew him, and yet she knew everything about him from their scant time together. They were mates, already bound forever in the flesh. Would it really be so terrible to take it one step further? 

In the eyes of the Jedi order, it would. 

But Rey was already damned for her actions, there would be no escaping the consequences of the mating bond. So in the end it didn’t matter. In the end she could act—

There was a flash of movement. Sudden and sharp, the man standing to Ben’s left jerked and then lunged. The cold steel blade of a dagger flashed in the Nabooian sunlight. 

“For the Empire!” He howled. 

“Ben!” Rey shouted, saber slapping into her hand and hissing to life as she rushed to intervene. The whole of reality seemed to slow, she was too far away. Mere feet made into miles as the scene unfolded just beyond her reach. 

There was a harsh tearing of fabric as he caught Ben by the collar. In a papery hand he hoisted up his weapon and brought it down viciously, aiming for smooth, pale flesh of Ben’s jugular. He wanted it to be bloody, he wanted carnage. 

Rey was choking on air. She felt suspended, helpless halfway between them as the Force wrapped around her fingertips. But it was too late. She was too late. 

Then Ben grunted, planted his feet, and let out a rippling pulse through the Force. It struck like a shockwave, sending the would-be-assassin careening backward just as the blade grazed the skin over Ben’s mating mark. 

Rey, only slightly unbalanced, quickly regained herself and descended on the traitor with the rest of the security team. She slapped the dagger from his hand then kicked him hard in the chest, forcing him to the pavement with a painful grunt. Then she fisted her hand into his collar and hoisted him up into the air, suspending him as he struggled feebly in her grasp. 

“Who do you serve?” She demanded, teeth bared fiercely. She wanted to kill him. Force help her, she wanted nothing more than to reduce him to a smear on the paving stones. Her vision flashed red and she imagined reaching into his mind and tearing him to metal shreds. 

_ He hurt Ben. He hurt Ben and I want him fucking dead.  _

But she couldn’t kill him, she knew logically that she needed whatever information he knew. Gritting her teeth, she resolved to let him live… for the moment. 

Shaking, he gripped her wrist and glared at her. 

“Not going to talk, huh?” She slammed him back to the ground with unnecessary Force. Blood splattered, but she didn’t take the time to discern from where. It didn’t matter. He deserved to bleed. 

“Restrain him,” She commanded, “I’ll recall the transport.” 

She reached into her pocket and pressed a small button on her com link. It gave a muffled beep, signalling reception by the transport. 

Beginning to feel shaken, she returned to Ben’s side. He hadn’t moved, still leaning against the counter. He was pale and his hair was ruffled. His cloak and shirt were torn from the collar to midway down his shoulder. Blood dripped from a small gash in the crook of his neck, but it wasn’t enough to obscure the obvious pattern of his mating bite from the now frenzied reporters. 

They rushed forward, shouting questions, but Rey brandished her saber at them, snarling in hostility. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, eyeing the scar. She had known they would be found out eventually, she just hadn’t expected it to be so soon. 

Ben swallowed hard and Rey could see in his eyes that he was shaken. She wanted to take that fear away, she wanted him to feel safe with her. Protected and loved, “Yes… he only grazed me.” 

Overwhelmed by sudden, intense emotion. Heart aching. Rey closed the distance between them, seized him by his torn collar and kissed him hard on the mouth. He bent under her, melting into her touch. The paparazzi began to shout more loudly, but Rey’s lightsaber still spitting orange at her side kept them at bay. 

It didn’t matter now. They had already seen his mark. Soon enough the whole world would know. 

When she broke the kiss Ben held her close, staring longingly into her eyes for a moment before turning his head to acknowledge the merchant. The man was ducked down, cowering behind the counter. 

“I’ll take the platinum band.”

Rey gulped, and turned back to face the crowd. Nothing would ever be the same. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for my absence, I entered into a pretty severe anxious episode about a month ago and have just now started to come out of it. I could hardly think, let alone write. But I'm back!
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to share on social media (I can't have any bc mental health, so I can't promo my own fic lol).


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“It’s fine Ben,” Rey rushed to interject, not wanting to involve herself in a family spat. “Master Luke, I know I failed you. I know I failed the entire Order. But what has happened between myself and Ben is nothing less than fate, it was going to happen, no matter what.”_
> 
> _It felt good to admit, and Ben made a satisfied sound of agreement. They were mates now, and Rey would change that for nothing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! There's smut in this one.
> 
> (sorry I've been awful about replying to comments, life and school have kept me preoccupied)

Rey spent the days following the assassination attempt on a blade thin edge. Every creak of the manor awoke her from her slumber, every cough or grunt of a guard had her poised to strike and gritting her teeth. Ben tried to calm her with his words, and eventually his mouth and hands. But nothing could distract her from her duty. 

Ben’s location was known. The entire  _ galaxy  _ knew he was on Naboo, and they knew that he possessed a mating bite on his neck. Their kiss was broadcasted galaxy wide. Her whole world was tumbling down around her, and all she could do was guard Ben with every ounce of will she had. If he died there would be nothing left for her. 

What disturbed her most was the radio silence from Master Luke. She had expected a call the night of the incident, but she had only received orders in the form of a message via the holonet.  _ Remain where you are. Wait for contact from Master Luke _ . 

So she obeyed and waited. Only once did Ben manage to fully distract her, pulling her into the fresher with him and fucking her up against the slick shower wall. He knotted despite neither of them being in cycle, which was strange, but he assured her it was simply a result of heightened stress. 

Rey allowed herself to enjoy it, since for a moment she had nowhere to go. 

Afterwards she carded her fingers through his damp hair and told him that she loved him, that she wouldn’t let any harm come to him. Not as a Jedi, and certainly not as his mate. They kissed again, and she led him out to the bed where he willingly submitted, and allowed her to take control. 

The give-and-take between them was growing ever more developed. They circled around each other in easy, familiar patterns. They edged forward, drawing nearer to their cycles with each passing day. 

Ben was eager to rekindle the same heat they’d had previously. Rey could hardly think of anything but Luke’s disapproval. How he would surely expel her from the order in shame. The promise of the platinum wedding band still loomed as well, though Ben had yet to present it to her. 

Finally, on the eve of her rut, Luke made contact. He flickered translucent and pale blue in her small office room. Rey stood, facing him respectfully while Ben lounged on the chaise longue. 

He was silent for a long moment. Face an unreadable mask as he took her in. Rey’s stomach twisted up in painful knots, and she resisted the urge to wring her hands in front of her. 

“So,” Luke spoke, voice low. “You’re quite taken with my nephew.” 

Rey gulped and nodded. There was no point in denying it. She cast her eyes downward, brimming with shame. 

“You admit to forsaking your vows, then?” His tone was still frustratingly even. She wanted some indication of his thought process. She wanted him to get mad, to yell, to dish out exactly the sort of punishment she deserved. 

“I do.” Rey admitted. 

Luke let out a long sigh, “That makes things easier, at least. I can spare you the trial and get straight to the punishment.” 

Behind her Ben shifted on the couch, displeased at what he was hearing. 

“First, Rey, I must ask what you were thinking, involving yourself with your client, your duty, another  _ alpha _ ?” 

“That’s none of your business.” Ben spoke up angrily. 

Luke’s hologram flickered and glared at him disapprovingly, “Nothing from you, boy. You managed to corrupt my finest pupil.”

“It’s fine Ben,” Rey rushed to interject, not wanting to involve herself in a family spat. “Master Luke, I know I failed you. I know I failed the entire Order. But what has happened between myself and Ben is nothing less than fate, it was going to happen, no matter what.”

It felt good to admit, and Ben made a satisfied sound of agreement. They were mates now, and Rey would change that for nothing. 

“I see,” Luke replied, stiffly. He looked between the two of them. “You are bonded for life, then. Rey… you know what this means.” 

The Master’s expression turned sorrowful, “I never thought I would see this day.”

Rey bit anxiously at her lower lip, and bowed her head respectfully, “Neither did I. The Jedi have been my life for so long. But I understand what must happen.” 

With graveness in his voice, Luke spoke loudly and officially, hologram shifting as if to lay a hand over her bowed head. 

“Rey, I relieve you of your duty and your vows. You are a Jedi knight no longer, for you have forsaken our ways in pursuit of your own path. Go now, and find peace elsewhere.” His hand moved away, as if to cup her cheek, “You are free.” 

Rey remained still for a moment, absorbing the reality of the situation. She had never thought of her life as something to be  _ free  _ from. Her heart ached, and she mourned what might have been had she been stronger, “It doesn’t feel like freedom.” 

Behind them Ben was quiet, and Rey couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking. 

“What will you do now?” Luke asked. 

“Ben still needs a bodyguard, doesn’t he? I’ll remain in his service.”

“And the rumors of an engagement I’ve been hearing?” The Master smirked down at her knowingly. 

Rey flushed from cheek to cheek, slowly rising to her feet. Ben shifted on the chaise longue, “I… I don’t know anything about that. We’re still young, and we’ve only known each other for a few months.”

Luke grinned, “Little Rey, always playing the part of the pragmatist.”

Rey’s answering smile was small and sad. 

“Well, I will leave you two now. I have no authority over you anymore, Rey, but it would be wise for you to stay put on Naboo until we can formulate a plan of action.” 

Rey nodded fiercely, “Of course. I’ll keep an eye on things, Jedi or no.” 

She was his mate, his protector, it was her biological imperative and moral duty to keep him safe. Ben huffed audibly, shifting in his seat. Objecting on the grounds that he saw  _ himself _ as the alpha in their relationship. 

They would have to suss it out later; probably in bed. 

“Farewell for the time being… and Ben?” Luke inclined his head towards his nephew. 

“Yes, uncle?” 

“Behave.”

With that, Luke’s projection flickered out. The light in the room dimmed in the hologram’s absence, fading from blue to yellow in hue. 

With Luke’s discerning gaze gone from the room Rey’s shoulders fell and she bowed her head. It was over. She was a Jedi Knight no longer.

Ben rose and laid a hand on her shoulder, “It was sad for me, too, when I left.” 

Rey nodded, sniffing, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. 

“But it’s a new beginning for you, just like it was for me. This is a new beginning for  _ us _ ,” He emphasized the last word, and she felt his lips press to the back of her neck. 

The heat that had been smoldering low in her belly flared at his touch, and she taunted him, knowing just how she might forget this sadness, “You’re right, now all I have to worry about is keeping you safe, and happy.”

Ben bristled and spun her around to face him, grip tight on her shoulders as she smirked up at him, “ _ I _ will be doing the protecting and pleasing, Little Jedi.” 

Rey’s smirk dropped and her shoulders fell once more, “Ben, I’m not—

“You are. You’re more of a Jedi than any student at the academy, even more than my uncle. You live your life by their laws, being in love shouldn’t, and can’t change that.” 

Rey stared at him with her lips parted, a single tear trekked over her cheek. 

“ _ Thank you _ ,” she whispered. 

Swiping away the tear with his thumb, he cupped her cheek affectionately, “See? I am most certainly the pleaser in this relationship.” 

Rey’s cheeks flamed and a growl bubbled in her chest. Cheeky bastard. Lunging forward she caught him by the collar of his silken doublet and pulled him forward, close enough to taste the sweetness of his breath. 

“I’ll show you exactly what I am,” she hissed, and then she kissed him roughly. 

Under the assault of his lips and tongue, all of her woes melted away, leaving her a live wire, sparking and burning, desperate for every inch of the man under her hands. 

She caressed up and over his broad chest, fingers tracing along his neck and then curling into his hair. He moaned into her mouth, and she could feel his erection where it pressed insistently against the seam of his leather pants. 

“Why leather?” She panted when they broke apart, fingerings hooking into his belt loops and dragging him backwards into the bedroom. 

“Style, my love,” he kissed the corner of her mouth. “And they help to mask rut stink.” 

Rey’s face brightened, “You’re almost there?” 

Ben nodded his flushed face and released her waist to work on the fastenings of his doublet, “So are you. You smell so fucking good I can hardly think.” 

Rey laughed and sprang up and onto the bed just out of his reach, balancing on her knees. Jedi robes were far easier to remove than his more fashion forward outfit. In a few simple pulls they were pooling around her knees, leaving her in just a plain breast band and panties. 

She was already dripping, teetering on the edge of her rut, skin flushed. Her breath came quick and heavy, and she wanted nothing more than to sink down onto Ben’s fat cock as she rode him. Made him  _ hers _ .

Now bereft of his shirt, he clambered onto the bed after her, snarling as she scrambled until her back met the ornate headboard. He watched her hungrily as she teased along the hem of her breastband, fingers slipping up and in and ghosting her own hidden flesh. 

“Do you want to see my tits, Ben?” She quizzed innocently, batting her eyelashes down at him. 

“Yes.” He breathed, fists curling up in the dark sheets. 

A wicked grin spread over Rey’s face, and she leaned forward holding his fiery eyes, “Then beg.” 

Sable eyes darkening, Ben’s lip curled and he shifted his weight, edging towards her. He caught one of her wrists as she tried to escape from him, and then he caught the other. He brought them up and over her head, pinning both in one hand. 

Rey panted and hissed up at him. She felt warm all over, and his touch sent little shocks over her skin. Her cunt clenched on nothing and she knew it was beginning; rut. 

“There’s something that you want more, right? More than I want to see your pretty little tits,” He cocked his head and leaned forward to kiss her deeply. Rey’s body bent up and into his, and she wished she could rake her fingers over his back until she drew blood. She wanted to mark him up, wanted the whole world to know that the beautiful Alderaanian senator was  _ hers _ . 

When they parted, Rey shook her head, “No.” 

Ben raised an eyebrow and tsked, shifting his body slightly, so his hips were centered over hers. She curled one leg up and over his hip, wanton. 

“Oh, yes,” He replied, then he canted his hips forward. Gently at first, then more insistently as the delicious friction grew. His clothes cock pressed hotly into her, and when he reached down to pull her drenched underwear aside she didn’t even complain. 

She would have prefered flesh-to-flesh, but this would work for a hasty orgasm. She might have even allowed him to finish on top. 

“ _ Shit _ , Ben.” He let go of her wrists, and her hands flew to his shoulders, fingers curled like talons. 

He hissed, jerking forward under her touch. Eye alight, he stopped, clothed cock pressed tantalizingly into her bare cunt. 

“I’m not even inside of you yet, Rey. But you’re already begging for me? You need me so much, need my dick. Let me take care of you.” The backs of his knuckles ghosted her cheek. 

Instinctive, alpha anger spiked in her chest, and all at once Rey exuded her strength, catching his hips between her powerful legs and flipping them over. Ben huffed as he slammed into the mattress, and Rey balanced on his hips, steadying herself with her hands on his bare pecks. 

Mischievously, Rey smirked, fishing between them for the fly of his pants. When she could not find one, she made her own. Ruining the pants by tearing them open down the middle, revealing Ben’s distinct lack of boxers. 

His cock sprang free, throbbing and needy. The thick head of it was red and beaded with a drop of clear precum. Rey swiped it up with her index finger and ran her tongue over it, licking it away as Ben watched and moaned, fists tightening up in the linens. 

“Who’s needy now?” Rey teased, reaching between their bodies and taking his thick cock in hand. 

Ben puffed his cheeks, watching her hand intently, refusing to answer. 

Brows furrowing in concentration, Rey leaned forward, adroit hands allowing the head of his cock to ghost over her wet folds. She felt Ben tense under her, and she purred. This was how it was meant to be, her over him. 

Slowly, she pressed her cunt more insistently to him, allowing the shaft to pass through her folds with each slide of her hips, the head bumping promisingly against her clit on each pass. 

Ben groaned so deeply that Rey felt it, covering his eyes with a wide palm. 

“Fuck, Rey.” 

Rey, against all instinct, stopped, and met his begging eyes as they reappeared from beneath his hand. 

“You’re not even inside of me yet. But you’re already begging for me? You’re mine Ben, never forget it.”

Ben’s expression soured but she was already dropping down and onto him, sheathing him in her quivering cunt and cutting off his words. 

“ _ Mine _ .” Rey snarled as she rocked herself onto him, setting a quick pace. Their flesh slapped wetly between them, filling up the room with their erotic symphony. 

Rey savored the sweet, painful stretch of Ben’s dick inside of her. Even then, after so many nights together, he filled her up and made her whole. Her nails carved pretty pink lines into his skin, and she ducked forward to tease her lips against his. 

“ _ Mine, _ ” she breathed into their near-kiss. “ _ Mine, mine, mine. _ ” 

She punctuated each ‘mine’ with a jerk of her hips, jostling him inside of her, increasing their sweet friction. Rey wasn’t going to last long, already she could feel the muscles of her lower belly tightening up, heat pooling where he fucked into her. 

Rey leaned back, eyes shut and lips parted as she climbed towards her peak, but Ben wasn’t ready quite yet. He shot upright, slapping their bare chests together roughly and pulling her into a scathing kiss. His hands held her hips, forcing her to go still with his cock still seated firmly inside of her. 

Rey whined into his mouth and squeezed her internal muscles around him tauntingly. 

Ben moaned into her mouth and tightened his grip on her, crushing her to his scalding hot body. Rey melted into him once more, ignoring the ache in her center in favor of exploring his vast body with her hands. He was all pale, smooth skin over rippling steely muscle, smattered with moles like constellations. She began to lose herself in him, in their kiss and their bond. 

_ I love you _ , she shared, sweeping her tongue across his lower lip. 

His grip shifted on her hips,  _ I love you, too. _

Then all the softness was gone, and he flipped her onto her back, the tips of her hair hanging over the foot of the bed as he shuffled between her thighs. 

“Now let me take care of you,” he purred, laying his dick over her cunt and onto her abdomen, as if to observe how deep he would reach. 

Then he crawled over her, kissing her belly and her ribs and her breasts as he climbed up her slender frame. His elbows caged her head, and he pressed his face into the crook of her neck as he slowly tilted his hips. The head of him was already aligned with her, and he slid easily into her pliant wet. 

He went still for a moment once he had seated himself, mouthing sweet words into her neck and throat as he kissed her there. 

Rey puffed her reddened cheeks and lifted her hips, pressing into him needily. Her alpha screamed for dominance, but her rational mind simply longed for overdue release. 

Tentatively, his hips switched, and Rey panted at the slight friction. She could feel where his knot was growing, her own swelling internally in answer. Carefully he began to build up his pace, getting rougher as he accelerated, mounting towards his own release. She felt his teeth graze her mating mark, and she tangled her fingers into his dark waves, urging him to bite down. 

She was tight, knot beginning to hold onto him with each stuttering thrust, teetering on her precipice, sharp sensation shooting through her body. Her ankles hooked over the small of his back and her nails went back to carving pretty pictures into his skin.  _ Hers, hers, hers. _

“Yours,” Ben agreed gruffly into her throat, then he arched his back and kissed her sloppily, dick twitching, knot pressing but not quite holding.

Rey nodded frantically and he mouthed at her throat. Arching her body, she shut her eyes, almost there. 

“But you’re mine, too,” His teeth grazed her mark and she groaned. 

“Yes,” she agreed. “Yours.” 

Then she came with a strangled cry at the same moment he let out a relieved moan into her skin. She felt him pulse, and felt his knot stretch her wide as her own bore down on him. Angling her head to the side she buried her teeth into the thickened skin of his mating mark. 

Huffing and whining, they went on like that for some time, setting each other off until neither had anything left to give. Their knots waned, and Ben pulled free from her in a rush of bodily fluid that Rey chose to ignore for the time being. 

They crawled up the bed, peeled back the sheets and duvet and settled in until their next spell took hold. 

They didn’t need words, nor thoughts. Just gentle touches and kisses in the dark. No nests, no frantic, sweaty heat or begging for babies. Just two alphas, secure and safe in each other’s arms. 

And Rey knew everything would be okay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also updated my other Reylo fic tonight! It's a werewolf!au wherein Rey is the werewolf and Kylo is a hunter. You can find it [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24398317/chapters/58854151).


	10. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but smutty last chap for everyone <3

They were rutting. Hard and fast. Rey canted her hips over his, pinning one wrist against the headboard with her hand, raking her nails over his sweat slick pecs with the other. She raised pretty pink lines over his pale skin and scraped her teeth along the beautiful column of his throat. 

“ _ Fuck _ ,” he moaned under her, free hand slipped down to grip one of her firm asscheeks. “Oh fuck you feel so good.” 

Flush and panting, Rey ducked her head to nip at his mating mark. The bed squeaked under them in protest, ancient and wooden. The wet slap of their flesh filled up the room, growing louder with each press of his thick cock into her cunt. 

Rey was dripping with wetness and boiling with instinctual aggression. She was on top of him. Holding him down. Marking him up and making him hers. 

She would draw his cum out of him, too. She wanted to fuck him until he wept and then fuck him some more. His body was ridiculously hot undulating under her own, and for a moment she felt like she could go on forever. 

Her cunt ached, and she puffed into his throat one more time before rising up and angling her hips slightly backward. Planting her hands on his chest she mewled, fingers curling like claws as Ben whined helplessly beneath her. His cock struck deeper with each tandem roll of their hips, and she could feel his knot beginning to stretch her out as her own paradoxically began to squeeze down on him. 

Rey hissed through her teeth and shut her eyes, savoring the sensations that tingled up her spine. 

“So good for me,” she praised softly, the intensity of her rut threatening to overwhelm her. “Such a good boy.”

Panting, she brushed the pads of her fingers along his lower lip. Dark eyes flashing sultry, he sucked the digits into his mouth, laving at their tips like he might her clit were his head between her legs. 

Rey sat back onto his cock, sheathing him entirely— which was always a feat in and of itself— he laughed breathlessly. 

“ _ Whore _ .” She teased, plucking her fingers away and trailing them between her breasts before reaching back to play with his balls. 

“You’re—  _ hah— _

He choked as she squeezed him. He was dripping with her wetness, and she felt his knot pulsing needily under her fingertips. Rey bit her lip to contain a cocksure smirk. 

“You’re the one panting for my cock,” he finished, dragging his hands over her rolling hips. He gave a rough thrust up and into her, making her yelp. 

Rey didn’t deign to answer him, she was so close she could feel it tingling in her fingers and toes. Ben’s hands caressed up to her breasts, which he had long since learned were particularly sensitive during her ruts. They fit perfectly into the palms of his hands, small and pert and bouncing with each jerky movement of their bodies. 

He began to massage them with his hands, and tweak her rosy nipples with his fingers. 

It was enough to make Rey gasp and fall forward, seating herself on his invading dick as her knot expanded and locked him inside of her. 

His own body reacted in turn, and his knot stretched her out and pressed back almost painfully. It left them both gasping and sputtering as he came and came and came. She could feel it wet and warm between her thighs, like a balm in the searing irritation of her rut. 

Slumped forward, she nipped her way up his chest and back to his mating mark which she placed her mouth over and laved at lazily with her tongue, easing him through the endless aftershocks of his orgasm. 

When they were done, knots having waned enough for them to part, Rey rolled onto her back. Her breathing had slowed, and the sweat was cooling on both of their bodies. Their mixed come was dripping out of her, pooling on the bedspread. Blinking down at it, Rey moaned and dropped her head back onto the pillows. It was unspeakably hot to even think about, image ingraining itself into her rut addled mind. 

Ben pulled the scratchy, woolen cover up and over them, curving a careful arm around her waist. 

“That was good… but it was supposed to be my turn to top,” he murmured, voice already laced with impending sleep.

Rey blinked at the ceiling, blissfully numb from her orgasm. 

“Sorry, you just looked so pretty. I needed to mark you up.” And she had. With simmering pride she peaked down at the array of scratches and bite marks she had left all over him. The bruises hadn’t even begun to rise yet.

Ben pressed his lips to the corner of her jaw, cheeks puffing to show his frustration, “You have no idea how hot it is to hear you say that.” 

“You’re mine, Ben Solo,” Rey replied, cooly. “Not even the Senate can have you.” 

Ben stifled a laugh into her hair and drew her into his side, curling protectively around her. She was right, the Senate couldn’t have him. They had been in hiding for half a year now, hunkering down on some moon so remote its name was only a string of random letters and numbers. There were still organizations out for Ben’s blood. But Rey was afraid, as long as she was by his side he was safe. 

“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Rey asked, “I know that we’ll have to keep at  _ this _ , but you should try to get some work done as well.” 

Ben didn’t want to talk about work. He wanted to cuddle with his mate until the ache in his loins became insistent once more, then he wanted to fuck her all over again. But he could sense her insistence, so he acquiesced, knowing better than to push back against Rey in rut. 

“I’ve heard whispers that the Chandrilan Trade Federation is beginning talks with Imperial sympathizers in secret. Quite the change of heart, I’m sad to say.” 

Rey hummed, lips brushing along his throat and fingers carding soothingly through his silken hair. He could sense her sympathy through the bond. She hated to watch him and his people struggle so. 

“It’s okay. I have a few people who may be willing to deal with the chairman and install someone more agreeable in his place. I just need to call in a few favors.” 

Rey quirked an eyebrow, a hand slipping down the panels of his abdomen to dance fingers around the base of his soft cock. His machinations always turned her on. There was nothing sexier than freewheeling Ben, dispensing justice from the shadows. He was beholden to no regulations or rules any longer. Only his own moral code. 

“Oh?” 

He lifted her chin with his thumb, forcing her to meet his gaze. Her eyes were already glassy with want, and he could smell her heat on her.

Rey smiled at him, “What?”

Ben’s sable eyes shone with sudden emotion, and he pressed his full lips carefully to her forehead. 

“I love you,” he said. 

“I love you, too.” 

“I wouldn’t change anything, you know,” his voice was sincere. 

Shifting her hips in growing discomfort, Rey agreed with a soft hum in the back of her throat. Images flashed behind her open eyes, memories impressed upon her by her bondmate. 

The first moment he saw her in his Coruscanti apartment. The night of the gala, how beautiful she was in her dress. The first time they’d had sex, and then the second, and the third. It was a sweet, warm rush of nostalgia. Enough to momentarily distract Rey from her growing rut. 

“I wouldn’t change a thing either,” she admitted, burrowing her face into his shoulder. He was so broad and strong against her body. Warm and full of life and promise. 

The Jedi Order was behind her now. She was free of their arbitrary dogma, yet she still bore their discipline and power. All of it, every ounce that lived within her, she gave to Ben. That was how it was meant to be. She could feel it buzzing in the Force around her, a wonderful sense of wholeness and belonging. Her purpose was fulfilled. 

Rey was meant for Ben. And Ben was meant for Rey.

It was that simple. 

Hand moving slowly on his cock, she teased him back to hardness and he rumbled deep in his chest, making her shiver. 

“This time you’re mine,  _ little Jedi _ .” 

He goaded. 

When he pulled back his eyes flashed playfully, and he flipped her onto her back, pinning her wrists above her head. Rey smiled and giggled, and when he crushed his lips to hers she kissed him back with equal fervor. 

For a little while longer the galaxy did not matter. They were simply two alphas playing at power. Just Rey and Ben. No Jedi nor Senator to be found. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm so grateful for everyone who has taken the time to read this fic, especially those of you who took the time to comment. Like all fics, it was a labor of love and it's a bittersweet farewell.
> 
> If you're interested in my other work you can sub to be here on Ao3, or follow the link to my Tumblr below (I post all of my updates there). I'm planning on starting a long-form darkside Rey/Kylo fic sometime in the near future!
> 
> As always, thank you to everyone reading. Comment to let me know what you think. <3
> 
> Happy reading
> 
>  **Edit:** Sorry if the fic ended in a way that disappoints anyone, but I only ever intended to focus on Ben and Rey's relationship. Everything else was set dressing. :/

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments keep me alive tbh, thanks for reading <3
> 
> Tumblr: [Link](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/sordidbones)


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